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HIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



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This valuable Library, containing 080 volumes, was 
presented to the Washington Library, of which Dr. 
Laurie was one of the founders, by his step son, Dr. 
James C. Hall, March 3, 1858. 




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TREATISE 



U P^N 



THE LIFE OF FAITH. 



bt5v.*^R0mainr, m. a. 

RECTOR OF ST. AKDREW, WARDROBE, AND ST. ANn'-S 

BLACK-FRIARS, 

AND LECTURER OF ST. DUNSTAN's IN THE WEST, LOXDO^: 



The Just shall live by his Faith. HaKu'ri,' 



.YEW'YORK: J 
PUBLISHED BY WILLIAMS AND WHITLVG, 

,VT TIIEIU THEOLOGICAL AMD CLASSICAL BOOK-STORE, 

No. 118, Pearl-Street. 

T, SEYMOUR, PRINTER. 

1809. 






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PREFACE. 



IHE design of this little treatise is to 
display the glory and all- sufficiency of the. 
Lord Jesus Christy and to encourage weak 
believers to glorify him more, by depending 
ayid living more upon his all- sufficiency. 
Whatever grace he has promised in his 
word, he is faithful, and he is almighty to 
bestozv, and they may receive it of him free- 
ly by the hand of faith. This is its use and 
office, as an hand or instrument, having first 
received Christ, to be continually receiving 
out of Christ's fulness. The apostle calls 
this '' livijig byfaitK' — a life, received and 
continued, with all the strength, comforts, 
and blessings belonging to it, by faith in 
the Son of God; and he also 7nentions the 
work of faith, its working effectually in 
the hearts and lives of believers, through 
Christ strengthenijig thern^ and its grow- 



IV 



ing in them ; yea ^ growing exceedingly from 
faith to faith,, by the power of him who 
loveth them. This is the subject ; and it 
properly belongs to those only who have ob- 
tained the true faith, gi'oen them of God, 
and xvrought in their hearts by his word 
and Spirit, Such pei^sons meet with many 
difficulties every day to try their faith, and 
to hinder them from depending continually 
upon the Lord Chinst for all things be- 
longing to life and godliness. By what 
means these difficulties may be overcome, is 
plainly taught in scripture; is clearly pro- 
mised; and is attained by faith, which be- 
comes daily more victorious, as it is enabled 
to trust, that he is faithful %vho promised. 
The strengthening of it I have had all 
along in view, hoping to be the means, un^ 
der God, of leading the weak believer by 
the hand, and of removing hindrances out 
of his way, until the Lord thoroughly set- 
tle and establish him in the faith that is in 
Christ Jesus, 

But J must adinonish the reader, that I 
do not expect this merely from what I have 



written. It is too high and great a zcork 
for any mere man. Faith is the gift of 
God, And he alone xvho gives it., can in- 
crease it. The author of the faith is also 
the finisher of it : and we do not use the 
means to set the Lord of all means aside. 
No : zee use them that we may find him 
in them. It is his presence., which makes 
the use of them effectual. By this^ and 
this only^ can any reader of this little hook 
he rendered stronger in faith. Being well 
assured of this^ I have therefore looked up 
to him myself; and it will he for thy pi^ofit 
also J reader^ to look up to him in prayer s 
for his hlessing. Entixat him of his grace 
to countenance this feehle attempt to pro- 
mote his glory and his peoples good. Beg 
of him to make thy reading of it the means 
of thy growth in faithy and to accompany 
it with the supply of his Holy Spirit to 
every believer into whose hands it may fall 
And forget not in thy prayers and pi^aises 
to remember the author. 

Since the first printing of this book se- 
veral spurious editions have been published 

A- 2 



VI 

at London and Dublin^ very full of faults 
and mistakes. For the sake of setting my 
own sentiments correctly before the public^ 1 
have given Mrs. Trapp leave to print from 
my own copy. I bless God who has enabled' 
me to revise the press, and to put my last 
hand to the work, by making such addi- 
tions and alterations, as seemed to me ne- 
cessary, to render the subject more plain to 
common readers. In this, and in all things, 
I desire to approve myself to my Lord and 
Master, whose I am, and whom I serve ; 
and whatever good I have or do, to him be 
all the praise. Blessed be his Name this 
day, hencefoi^th, and through the day of 
eternity. 

April g4, 1793. 



TREATISE, 



The persons for whose use this little tract is 
drawn up^ are supposed to be practically ac- 
quainted with these following truths : they 
have been convinced of sin^ and convinced 
of rio^hteousness : the word of God has 
been made effectual, by the application of 
the Holy Spirit, to teach them the nature of 
the divine law, and, upon comparing their 
hearts and their lives with it, they have been 
brought in guilty ; they found themselves 
fallen creatures, and they felt the sad conse- 
quences of the fall, namely, total ignorance 
in the understanding of God and his ways; 
an open rebellion against him in the will, and 
an entire enmity in the heart ; a life spent in 
the service of the world, the flesh, and the 
devil ; and on all these accounts guilty be- 



8 
fore God, and by nature children of wrath. 
When they were convmced of those truths 
in their judgments, and the awakened con- 
science sought for ease and deliverance, then 
they found they were helpless, and without 
strength. They could take no step, nor do 
any thing which could in the least save them 
from their sins. Whatever method they 
thought of, it failed them upon trial, and left 
their conscience more uneasy than before. 
Did they purpose to repent; they found 
such a repentance as God would be pleased 
with, was the gift of Christ. He was exalt- 
ed to be a Prince and a Saviour to give 
repentance. Suppose they thought of re- 
forming their lives ; yet what is to become of 
their old sins ? Will present obedience, if it 
could be perfectly paid, make any atonement 
for past disobedience ? Will the broken law 
take part of our duty for the whole ? No. 
It has determined, that whosoever shall keep 
the whole law, and yet offend in one point, 
he is guilty of all. And let him be ever so 
careful in doing what the law requires, or 
in avoidincr wh^t the law forbids ; let him 



'9 

fast, and pray, and give alms ; hear and read 
the word, be early and late at ordinances; 
yet the enlightened conscience cannot be 
herewith satisfied ; because by these duties 
he cannot undo the sin committed, and be- 
cause he will find so many failings in them, 
that they will be still adding to his guilt, and 
increasing his misery. 

What method then shall he take? the 
more he strives to make himself better, the 
worse he finds himself. He sees the pollu- 
tion of sin greater. He discovers more of 
its guilt. He finds in himself a want of all 
good, and an inclination to all evil. He is 
now convinced that the law is holy, just, and 
good ; but when he would keep it, evil is pre- 
sent with him. This makes him deeply seiT^ 
sible of his guilty, helpless state ; and shows 
him that by the works of the lavv he cannot 
be saved. His heart, like a fountain, is con- 
tinually sending forth evil thoughts ; yea, the 
very imaginations of it are only, and alto- 
gether evil, and words and works partake of 
the nature of that evil fountain from whence 
they flow : so that after all his efforts, he 



10 

cannot quiet his conscience, nor attain peace 
with God. 

The law having done its office, as a school- 
master, by convincing him of these truths, 
stops his mouth, that he has not a word to 
say, why sentence should not be passed upon 
him. And there it leaves him, guilty and 
helpless. It can do nothing more for him, 
than show him that he is a child of wrath, 
and that he deserves to have the wrath of 
God abiding upon him for ever ; for by the 
law is the knowledge of sin. 

The gospel finds him in this condition, as 
the good Samaritan did the wounded travel- 
ler, and brings him good news. It discovers 
to him the way of salvation contrived in the 
covenant of grace, and manifests to him 
what the ever blessed Trinity had therein 
purposed, and what in the fulness of time 
was accomplished. That all the perfections 
of the Godhead might be infinitely and ever- 
lastingly glorified, the Father covenanted to 
gain honour and dignity to his law and jus- 
tice, to his faithfulness and holiness, by in- 
sisting upon man's appearing at his bar, in 



11 

the perfect righteousness of the law. But 
man having no such righteousness of his 
own, all having sinned, and there being none 
righteous, no not one ; how can he be saved? 
The Lord Christ, a person in the Godhead 
co-equal and co-eternal with the Father, un- 
dertook to be his Saviour. He covenanted 
to stand up as the head and surety of his 
people in their nature and in their stead, to 
obey for them, that by his infinitely precious 
obedience many might be made righteous; 
and to suffer for them, that by his everlast- 
ing meritorious stripes they might be healed. 
Accordingly, in the fulness of time, he came 
into the world, and was made flesh, and God 
and man being as truly united in one person 
as the reasonable soul and flesh is one 
man. This adorable person lived, and suf- 
fered, and died as the representative of his 
people. The righteousness of his life ^vas to 
be their right and title to life, and the right- 
eousness of his sufferings and death, was to 
save them from all the sufferings due to their 
sins. And thus the law and justice of the 
Father would be glorified in pardoning them, 



12 
and his faithfulness and holiness made ho- 
nourable in saving them. He might be strict- 
ly just, and yet the justifier of him who be- 
lieveth in Jesus. 

In this covenant, the holy Spirit, a person 
co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and 
the Son, undertook the gracious office of 
quickening and convincing sinners in their 
consciences, how guilty they were, and how 
much they wanted a Saviour; and in their 
judgments, how able he was to save all that 
come unto God through him; and in their 
hearts, to receive him, and to believe unto 
righteousness ; and then in their walk and 
conversation, to live upon his grace and 
strength. His office is thus described by 
our blessed Lord, in John xvi. 13, 14. 
'^ When the Spirit of truth is come, he shall 
glorify me ; for he shall take of mine, and 
shall show it unto you ;" that is, when he 
comes to convince sinners of sin, and of 
righteousness, and of judgment, he takes of 
the things of Christ, and glorifies him by 
showing them what a fulness there is in him 
to save. He leads them into all necessary 



13 

truth in their judgments, both concerning 
their own sinfuhiess, guilt, and helplessness, 
and also concerning the almighty power of 
the God-man, and his lawful authority to 
make use of it for their salvation. He 
opens their understandings to comprehend 
the covenant of grace, and the offices of the 
eternal Trinity in this covenant, particularly 
the office of the sinner's surety, the Lord 
Christ; and he convinces them that there is 
righteousness and strength, comfort and re- 
joicing, grace for grace, holiness and glory ; 
yea, treasures, infinite, everlasting treasures 
of these in Christ ; and hereby he draws out 
their atiections after Christ, and enables 
them with the heart to believe in him unto 
righteousness. And the Holy Spirit having 
thus brought them to the happy knowdedge 
of their union with Christ, afterwards glori- 
fies him in their walk and conversation, by 
teaching them how to live by faith upon his 
fulness, and to be continually receiving out 
ot it grace for grace, according to their con- 
tinual needs. 

1 he corruption of our nature by the fall, 
B 



14 

and our recovery through Jesus Christ, are 
the two leading truths in the Christian reli- 
gion ; and I suppose the persons for whose 
sake this little tract is drawn up not only to 
know them, but also to be established in 
them, steadfastly to believe and deeply to 
experience them. The necessity of their be- 
ing w ell grounded in them is very evident : 
for a sinner will never seek after nor desire 
Christ, further than he feels his guilt and 
his misery; nor will he receive Christ by 
faith, till all other methods of saving him- 
self fail ; nor will he live upon Christ's ful- 
ness, further than he has an abiding sense of 
his own want of him. Reader, how do 
these truths appear to thee ? Has the law of 
God arraigned thee in thy conscience ? Hast 
thou been there brought in guilty, and has 
the Spirit of God deeply convinced thee, by 
the law^, of sin, and of unbelief, and of thy 
helplessness, so as to leave thee no false 
resting place short of Christ? Has he swept 
away every refuge of lies, and thus put 
thee upon inquiring what thou must do to 
'be saved ? If not, may the Lord the Spirit 



15 
convince thee, and in his own good time 
bring thee to the knowledge of thyself, and 
to the saving knowledge of and belief in 
Christ Jesus, without which this book can 
profit thee nothing. But if thou hast been 
thus convinced, and the Lord has shone into 
thy understanding, and enlightened it with 
the knowledge of the way of salvation, then 
read on. May the Lord make what thou 
readest profitable to thine establishment in 
the faith, w hich is in Christ Jesus. 

There are two things spoken of faith in 
scripture, which highly deserve the attention 
of every true believer. The first is the state 
of safety, in which he is placed by Christ, 
and is delivered from every evil and danger 
in time and in eternity, to which sin had 
justly exposed him; and the second is the 
happiness of this state, consisting in an 
abundant supply of all spiritual blessings 
freely given to him in Christ, and received, 
as they are wanted, by the hand of faith out 
of the fulness of Christ. By which means 
whoever has obtained this precious faith 
ought to have a quiet conscience, at peace 



16 

with God, and need not fear any manner of 
evil, how much soever it be deserved ; and 
thereby he may at all times come boldly to 
the throne of grace to receive whatever is 
necessary for his comfortable walk heaven- 
wards. Every grace, every blessing promis- 
ed in scripture, is his ; and he may and does 
enjoy them, so far as he lives by faith upon 
the Son of God : so far his life and conver- 
sation are well ordered; his walk is even, his 
spiritual enemies are conquered; the old man 
is mortified with his affections and lusts, and 
the new man is renewed day by day after 
the image of God in righteousness and true 
holiness. And from what he already enjoys 
by faith, and from the hopes of a speedy 
and perfect enjoyment, the scripture w^ar- 
rants him to rejoice in the Lord with joy 
unspeakable and full of glory. 

It is much to be lamented, that few live 
up to these two privileges of faith. Many 
persons who are truly concerned about the 
salvation of their souls, live for years toge- 
ther full of doubts and fears, and are not es- 
tablished in the faith that is in Christ Je- 



17 
bus ; and several who are in a good measure 
established, yet do not walk happily in an 
even course, nor experience the continual 
blessedness of receiving by faith a supply of 
every want out of the Saviour's fulness. 
These things I have long observed, and w hat 
I have been taught of them from the scrip- 
ture and from the good hand of God upon 
me, I have put together, and throw it as a 
mite into the treasury. I am sure it was 
never more wanted, than at present. May 
the good Lord accept the poor offering, and 
bless it to the hearts of his dear people, to 
the praise of the glory of his own grace. 

For the clearer understanding of what shall 
be spoken upon the life of faith, it will be 
needful to consider first what faith is ; for a 
man must have faith before he can make use 
of it. He must be in Christ, before he can 
live upon Christ. Now^ faith signifies the 
believing the truth of the word of God : so 
says Christ, " Thy word is truth :" it relates 
to some word spoken, or to some promise 
made by him, and it expresses the belief 
which a person who hears it; has of its being 
B2 



18 

true. He assents to it, relies upon it, and 
acts accordingly. This is faith. And the 
whole word of God, which is the ground of 
faith, may be reduced to two points, name- 
ly, to what the law reveals concerning the 
justification of a righteous man, and to what 
the gospel reveals concerning the salvation 
ef a sinner. A short examination of these 
points will discover to us a great number of 
persons, who have no faith at all in the word 
of God. 

First, Every man in his natural state be- 
fore the grace of Christ, and the inspiration 
of his Spirit, has no faith. The scripture 
says, God hath shut up all that are in this 
state in unbelief; and when the Holy Spirit 
aw akens any one of them, he convinces him 
of sin, and of unbelief in particular. Whea 
the Comforter is come, says Christy he shall 
convince the world of sin, because they be- 
lieve not in me. 

Secondly^ A man who lives careless in 
sin has no faith. He does not believe one 
word that God says in bis law. Let it warn 
him of his guilt; and show him his great 



19 

danger ; yet he sets at naught the terrors of 
the Lord. He acts as it there was no day 
of judgment, and no place of eternal tor- 
ments. He has no fear of God before his 
eyes. How can such a practical atheist as 
this have any faith ? 

Thirdly, The formalist has not true faith. 
He is content with the form of godliness, 
and denies the power of it. The veil of un- 
belief is upon his heart, and the pride of his 
own good works and duties is ever before 
his eyes, that he finds no w'ant of the salva- 
tion of Jesus, and is averse to the grace of 
the gospel. All his hopes arise from what he 
is in himself, and from what he is able to 
do for himself He neither believes God, 
speaking in the law nor in the gospel. If 
he believed his word in the law, it would 
convict him of sin, and forbid him to go 
about to establish a righteousness of his 
own ; because by the works of the law shall 
no flesh living be justified; yet this he does 
not believe. If he believed the word of God 
in the gospel, it would convince him of righ- 
teousness, of an infinitely perfect righteous- 



20 

ness, wrought out by the God-man Christ 
Jesus, and imputed to the sinner without 
any^ works of his own : ^^ for unto him that 
worketh not, butbelieveth on him that justi- 
fieth the ungodly, his faith is imputed for 
righteousness." To this he dare not trust 
wholly for his acceptance before God ; there- 
fore he has not true faith. 

Fourthly, A man may be so far enlighten- 
ed, as to understand the way of salvation, 
and yet have not true faith. This is a possi- 
ble case. The apostle states it, 1 Cor. xiii. 
a. ^' Though I understand all mysteries, 
and all knowledge, yet I may be nothing.'' 
And it is a dangerous case, as Heb, x. 26. 
"■' If we sin wilfully after that we have re- 
ceived the knowledge of the truth, there re- 
maineth no more sacrifice for sins." Here 
was such a knowledge of the truth, as left a 
man to perish without the benefit of Christ's 
sacrifice ; therefore he wanted that faith, 
which whosoever hath, shall be saved. 

What great numbers are there under these 
delusions ? Reader, art thou one of them ? 
Examine closely ; for it is of eternal mo- 



21 

ment. Prove thine own self, wliether thou 
be in the faith. If thou askest how thou 
shalt know it^ since there are so many errors 
about it ; hear what God's word says, Who- 
ever believes truly, has been first convinced 
of unbelief This our Lord teaches, John 
xvi. 9. ^^ When the Comforter is come, he 
will convince the world of sin, because they 
believe not on me." He convinces of sin, 
by enlightening the understanding to know 
the exceeding sinfulness of it, and by quick- 
ening the conscience to feel the guilt of it. 
He shows the misery threatened, and leaves 
sinners no false refuge to flee unto. He will 
not suffer them to sit down content with some 
sorrow, or a little outward reformation, or 
any supposed righteousness ; but makes 
them feel, that, do whatever they will or 
can, still their guilt remains. Thus he puts 
them upon seeking out for salvation, and by 
the gospel he discovers it to them. He opens 
their understandings to know what they hear 
and read concerning the covenant of the 
eternal Trinity, and concerning what the 
God-man has done in the fulfilling of this 



255 

covenant. The Holy Spirit teaches them 
the nature of the adorable person of Christ- 
God manifest in the flesh, and the infinitely 
precious and everlastingly meritorious right- 
eousness, which he has wrought out by the 
obedience of his life and death ; and he con- 
vinces them that this righteousness is suffi- 
cient for their salvation^ and that nothing is 
required, except faith, for its being imputed 
unto them ; and he works in them a sense of 
their being helpless, and without strength to 
rely upon this righteousness, and through 
faith in it, to have peace with God. He 
makes them see that they cannot, by any 
power of their own, in the least depend up- 
on it : for all their sufficiency is of God. It 
requires the same arm of the Lord, which 
wrought out this righteousness, to enable 
them with the heart to believe in it. They 
are made clearly sensible of this from the 
word and Spirit of God, and from their own 
daily experience, and thereby they are dis- 
posed to receive their whole salvation from 
the free grace of God, and to him to ascribe 
all the glory of it. These are the redeemed 



23 

of the Lord, to whom it is given to believe. 
They are quickened from a death in trespas- 
ses and sins ; their consciences are awakened ; 
their understandings are enlightened with 
the knowledge of Christ; they are enabled in 
their wills to choose him, and in their hearts 
to love him, and to rejoice in his salvation. 
This is entirely the work of the Holy Spirit : 
for faith is his gift, Eph. ii. 8. '^ Unto you it 
is given, says the apostle, Phil, i. 29. in the 
behalf of Christ to believe on him ;" none 
can give it but the Spirit of God : because 
it is the faith of the operation of God, and 
requires the same almighty power to believe 
with the heart, as it did to raise Christ's bo- 
dy from the grave, Eph, i. 20. And this 
power he puts forth in the preaching of 
the word, and makes it the power of God 
unto salvation. The word is called, 2 Cor. 
iii. 8. the ministration of the Spirit,- because 
by it the Spirit ministers his grace and 
strength. So GaL iii. 2. " Received ye the 
Spirit by the works of the law, or by the 
hearing of faith?" It was by hearing faith 
preached, that they received the Spirit : for 



faith Cometh by hearing, and hearing- by the 
word of God, which is, therefore, called the 
word of faith. And thus the word is the 
means in the hand of the Spirit, to dispose 
the hearts of those who hear it, to receive 
and to embrace Christ; whereby they at- 
tain the righteousness of faith, as Ro?72. x. 
10. ^' With the heart man believeth unto 
righteousness." The heart is the chief thing 
in believing ; for into it Christ is received, 
and in it he dwells by faith. The vital union 
between Christ and the believer, is manifest- 
ed and made known in the heart, and therein 
it is cemented and established. With joy 
can the believer say, ''My Beloved is mine, 
and I am his," happy for me, we are but 
one person in the e3^e of the law, and our in- 
terests are but one. Blessed state this ! 
Christ gives himself freely to the believer, 
who also gives himself up in faith to Christ 
Christ, as the believer's surety, has taken his 
sins upon himself, and the believer takes 
Christ's righteousness ; for Christ makes 
over all that he has to the believer, who, by 
faith^ looks upon it, .and makes use of it as 



^5 

his oun, according to that express warrant 
for his so doing, in 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23. '' All 
things are yours, because ye belong to 
Christ" 

This vital union, between Christ and the 
believer, is largely treated of in Scripture. 
Christ thus speaks of it in his prayer for 
his people, Joh?i xvii. '^ I pray for them 
who shall believe on me through their word, 
that they all may be one, as thou, Father, 
art in me and I in thee, that they also may 
be one in us ; I in them, and thou in me^ 

that they may be made perfect in one."^ • 

And in Jo/m vi. 56. he says, ^' He that 
eateth my flesh, and drinkeih my blood, 
dwelleth in me, and I in him ;" and this 
indwelling is by faith, as £p/i. iii. 17.— 
'^ That Christ may dwell in your hearts by 
faith." And it is the office of the Holy 
Spirit to manifest this union to their hearts, 
as JoJui xiv. 20. '^ At that day, when the 
Spirit of truth is come, ye shall know that 
I am in my Father, and you in me, and I 
in you." And besides these, and many 
other plain words, this union is also repre* 

C 



26 

sented by several striking images, such as 
that of husband and wife, who are in law 
but one person ; the husband being answ^er- 
able for the wife's debts, and the wife shar- 
ing in her husband's honours and goods. 
It is set forth by the union between a build- 
ing and the foundation upon which it stands 
secure ; between a tree and its branches, 
which live because they are in the tree, and 
grow by the sap w^hich they receive from it ; 
between the head and the members, which, 
by holding under the head, live and grow, 
having a supply of nourishment administer- 
ed to every part. Under these beautiful 
images the scripture sets forth the reality, 
and the blessed fruits of this union. The 
Holy Spirit makes it known to the believer, 
by enabling him to rely on God's word, as 
infallible truth, and to receive Christ's person 
as the almighty Saviour ; and he strengthens 
it, by enabling the believer to make use of 
Christ's fulness, and to live by faith upon 
him in all his offices, for the partaking of 
all his promised graces and blessings. 

That faith which is of the operation of 



27 

God, alwaj^s produces the knowledge and 
the fruits of this blessed union, and enables 
the soul to give itself up to Christ, that it 
may be one with him, not in a figurative 
metaphorical way, but as really and truly, 
as the building is one with the foundation ; as 
much one in interest, as husband and wife; 
one in influence, as the root and the branch- 
es, the head and the members. So that 
this is not an empty notion about Christ, or 
some clear knowledge of him, or a mere 
approving of his way of salvation; but it is 
an actual receiving of him into the heart for 
righteousness to justify, and to d^vell and 
reii>;n there to sanctify ; a receivin^y him as 
a perfect Saviour, and living upon him and 
his fulness ; waiting upon him to be taught 
daily ; trusting w holly for acceptance to his 
blood and righteousness ; resting, relying, 
leaning upon his promised strength to hold 
out unto the end ; and hoping for eternal 
life as the free gift of God through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. The saving faith thus re- 
ceives Christ, and thus lives upon Christ. 



528 

Now, reader, examine and prove thysell 
whether thou hast this faith. Dost thou be^ 
lieve with thy heart unto righteousness? Thoii 
canst not live upon Christ, unless thou ar 
first in Christ. Thou must be first per^ 
suaded of thine interest in him, before thoi) 
canst make use of it, and improve it : an^ 
therefore the knowledge of thy union wit| 
him must be clear and plain, before thoi 
canst have a free and^open communion witlj 
him. There must be faith, before there ca 
be the fruits of faith ; and strong faith, be- 
fore there can be much and ripe fruit. Lit- 
tle faith will receive but little from Christ. 
The weak believer is full of doubts and 
fears ; and when he wants comfort or strength, 
or any other things which Christ has pro- 
mised to give his people, he is questioning 
whether he has any right to expect them ; 
and therefore he does not receive them, be- 
cause he has not boldness and access with 
confidence to God by faith in Christ Jesus. 
From hence appears the necessity of being 
established in the faith. The believer must 
have clear evidence of his interest in Christy 



I 



29 
before lie can live comfortable and happy 
upon Christ : therefore he must look well to 
the foundation, and see there be no doubts 
left about his being settled upon it. Christ 
being the sure foundation, how can he safe- 
ly build thereon all his salvation, unless he 
be first satisfied that he is upon it ? The 
peace with God in his conscience, every 
act of spiritual life, and the w hole walk and 
well ordering of his conversation, depend 
upon the settling of this point. It ought 
to be finally determined, and brought to this 
issue : *' Christ is mine; I know it from the 
word of God. I have the witness of the 
Spirit of God; and Christ allows me, unwor- 
thy as I am^ to make use of him and of his 
fulness for the supply of all my needs ; and 
I find I do make use of him, and thereby I 
know from daily experience, that I am in 
him, because I live upon him." According 
as this point is settled, so in proportion will 
be the life of faith. If the believer be tho- 
roughly grounded in it without any doubt 
or fear, then he ma}^ and will with confi- 
dence improve his interest in Christ: but 
C ^ 



30 
if he still leave it in suspense, his faith can 
be but little, and therefore he will obtain 
little comfort or strength from Christ. 

Reader, art thou one of the weak in faith? 
Dost thou feel it ? Dost thou mourn for it ? 
And dost thou know, from w hence thy faith 
is to be strengthened ? Who can increase it, 
but he alone who gives it ? O pray, then, to 
the Lord God to give thee the Spirit of wis- 
dom and revelation, that the eyes of thy un- 
derstanding may be enlightened to see the 
infinite sufficiency of Christ's person as God- 
man, and the everlasting merit of his life 
and death to save his people from their sins. 
And whatever hinders thee from seeing the 
fulness of Christ's salvation, and resting com- 
fortably by faith upon it, earnestly inireat 
the Lord to remove it. If it be sin, beg of 
God to make thee more willing to part with 
it. If it be guilt, pray him to ordain peace 
in thy conscience through the blood of 
sprinkling. If it be much corruption, it can- 
not be subdued, until it be first pardoned. 
]^ thou hast got under the spirit of bondage, 
look up to tlie Lord Christ lor that liberty, 



31 

wherewith he makes his people free. What- 
ever it be, as soon as it is discovered to 
thee, make use of prayer, believing God's 
word of faithfulness, that what thou ask- 
est thou shalt have; and that he will so esta- 
blish thee, that thou shalt go on from faith 
to faith. May it be thy happy case. Amen. 
Reader, if thou art an awakened man, 
convinced of sin, by the word and Spirit of 
God, all thine enemies will try to keep thee 
from the clear knowledge of thy union with 
Christ. The reason is plain : because then 
thou wilt not be able to depend upon 
Christ's promised strength, and to make use 
of it by faith, which is almighty to defeat 
them all. Hearken not therefore to any 
suggestion, nor be afraid of any opposition, 
which would hinder thee from seekincp to 
be fully convinced of thine interest in Christ, 
and of thy being a branch in the true vine. 
Satan Avill use all his wiles and fiery darts, 
and all carnal professors will be on his side; 
and they wall have close allies in thine own 
breast, in thine unbelief, in thy legal spirit, 
and in thy lusts and corruptions. Consider, 



32 

why do these enemies fight so hard against 
thy being safely settled; and comfortably 
grounded upon Christ by living faith ? Is it 
not, because thou wilt then be an overmatch 
for them, through the strength of Jesus ? 
And does not this plainly show thee the ab- 
solute necessity of knowing, that Christ and 
thou art one ? Till this be known, thou wilt 
be afraid to apply to him, and to make use 
of his strength ; and till thou dost use it, all 
thine enemies will triumph over thee. O 
beg of God then to increase thy faith, that 
thou ma3^est be fully convinced of thy union 
with Christ, and mayest live in him safe, 
and on him happy. Hear and read his 
M^ord ; and pray for the effectual working of 
the Lord the Spirit in it, and by it, that 
faith may come and grow by hearing, until 
it be finally settled w ithout doubt or waver- 
ing, that Christ is thine, and thou art his. 

After the believer is thus grounded and 
established in the knowledge of his union 
with Christ, it behooves him then to inquire, 
w^hat God has given him a right to in con- 
sequence of this union ? And the scripture 



33 

will inform him, that in the covenant of 
Grace it has pleased the Father, that all ful- 
ness should dwell in his Son, as the head, for 
the use of his members. He has it to sup- 
ply all their need. They cannot possibly 
want any thing, but it is treasured up for 
them in his infinite fulness ; there they may 
have it, grace for grace, every moment, as 
their occasions require; and they have it in 
no other way, and by no other hand, than 
faith, trusting the word of promise, and re- 
lying upon Christ's faithfulness and power 
to fulfil it ; as it is written, '^ the just shall 
live by his faith," Hab, ii. 3. Having receiv- 
ed justification to life by faith in the right- 
eousness of Christ, he depends on Christ 
to keep him alive, and makes use of , Christ's 
fulness for all the wants of that spiritual 
life, which he has given. He trusts him for 
them all, and lives upon him by faith for 
the continual receiving of them all ; and 
according to his faith, so is it done unto 
him. 

Let this be well weighed and considered^ 
that the justified person lives and performs 



34 

every act of spiritual life by faith. This 
is a very important lesson, and therefore it 
is taught in Scripture as plainly as words 
can speak. Every thing is promised to, and 
is received by faith. Thus it is said, " Ye 
are all the children of God by faith in 
Christ Jesus ; and if children,, then heirs ac- 
cording to the promise, heirs of God, and 
joint heirs with Christ, who of God is made 
unto us wisdom, righteousness, and holi- 
ness ;" made for their use wisdom, to teach 
them, righteousness to justify them, and ho- 
liness to sanctify them: yea, he has all things 
in his fulness for their use, as the free grant 
speaks, 1 Cor, iii. 21, 8^x. '^ All things are 
yours, whether Paul or ApoUos, or Cephas, 
or the world, or life, or death, or things pre- 
sent, or things to come ; all are yours, and 

ve are Christ's, and Christ's is God's."- ■ 

Consider, believer, what a large estate this 
is : thy title to it is good, and thou enterest 
into possession by faith. See then that thou 
make use of thine inheritance, and live up- 
on it. Do not say, when thou wantest any 
thing, I know not where to get it : for 



^5 

whatever the God-man has of wisdom, right- 
eousness, holiness, power, and glory, he has 
it, as the head of the body, for thee as one 
of his members, for thy use and benefit; and 
he has promised it to thee in his word. 
Make free with him then. Go to him with 
confidence. Thou canst not do him greater 
honour than to receive from him what he 
has to give. That is glorifying him. It is 
putting the crown upon his head, and con- 
fessing him to be a perfect all-sufficient 
Christ, when it pleaseth thee, as it did his 
Father, that in him should all fulness duell; 
and when thou art content to live out of 
thyself upon his fulness for the supply of 
all thy needs in time and in eternity. To 
live thus upon him is his glory; and it is thy 
privilege, thy interest, and thy happiness. 
In every state, spiritual and temporal, and 
in every circumstance, thou canst possibly 
be in, thou art commanded to look up to 
Christ, that thou mayest receive out of his 
fulness*, and to depend upon hiuj to save 
thee from every evil, and to bestow upon 
thee every good. In thy walk heavenwards, 



36 

and in every thing thou meetest with by the 
way, put thy trust in Christ, and expect 
from him the fulfilling of all his promises, 
lie has all power in heaven and earth for 
that very purpose. Still rely upon him, arid 
cast thy burdens on him, when thou art 
tempted; when old corruptions arise; when 
the world and the devil assault thee ; when 
under a sense of weakness and dulness in 
duty ; when in darkness and desertion ; in 
persecution and trouble; in pain ^nd pov- 
erty ; in sickness and death. This is the 
life of faith. Thou wilt live like a Christian, 
indeed, if, being in any of these cases, thou 
belie vest that Christ is able, because he is 
almighty, and willing; because he has pro- 
mised to supply thy wants, and then canst 
trust in him for that supply. Depend upon 
it, thou shalt have it, and it shall be done 
unto thee according to his word. 

After the believer is become one with 
Christ, and through him has a right to all 
the riches of grace, and may by faith make 
use of them as his own ; why is he so long in 
learning this lesson perfectly ? Being adopt- 



S7 

ed into the heavenly family, and an heir of 
the heavenly inheritance, why does not he 
immediately live up to his privilege, and to 
his estate r His title is good. The inherit- 
ance is sure. All things are become his, for 
all fulness is in Christ ; and by virtue of his 
union with Christ, this fulness is his, and he 
may by faith be always receiving out of it 
every grace and blessing, which Christ has 
promised : why then does not he at once at- 
tain to this happy life of faith ? Sad expe- 
rience proves that young believers do not. 
They meet with so many difficulties, that 
tliey grow up slowly into Christ in all things, 
Thev do not attain to a solid establishment 
in the faith in a day. Enemies without 
and within stop their progress, insomucli, 
that they often continue little children for a 
long time. They have the same right to 
Christ, the same privileges, and the same 
promised grace, which young men and fa- 
thers in Christ have ; but they have not learn- 
ed by experience how to improve their inte- 
rest in him, and to make the most of it. The 

difficulties and temptations which weaken 

D 



38 

their hold of Christ, and stop their growth 
in him, are many ; some of the chief, are 
these : 

1. They continue little children, and weak 
in faith, because they do not presently at- 
tain a solid acquaintance with the person of 
Christ ; and are not thoroughly satisfied, how 
able he was, and sufficient for every thing 
he undertook, and how perfectly he has fi- 
nished every part of his work. 

2. This keeps them ignorant of many 
things in which the glory of his salvation 
consists ; hence they have not clear believ- 
ing views of its fulness, and of its freeness. 

3. By which means they labour under ma- 
ny doubts about the manner of their receiv- 
ing this salvation. A legal spirit working 
with their unbelief, puts them upon reason- 
ing continually against being saved freely by 
grace through faith; and, 

4. These legal unbelieving reasonings gain 
great power from their unskilfulness in their 
w^arfare between nature and grace, the old 
man and the new, the flesh and the spirit ; 
and, 



39 

5. All these difficulties are mightily 
strengthened, from their hearkening to sense, 
and trusting to its reports more than to the 
word of God. While believers are under 
these difficulties, their faith meets with many 
checks in its growth, and until they be ena- 
bled to overcome them, they continue to be 
little children in Christ. Their weak faith 
receives but little from Christ, and it contin- 
ues weak, because they have but little de- 
pendence upon the effectual working of 
Christ's mighty power. The exceeding 
greatness of his power, is able to strengthen 
them, and he has promised it ; but they dare 
not trust him. Consider, therefore, reader, 
if thou art one of these babes, why thou dost 
not grow up faster into Christ. The 

First thing that stops thee, is the igno- 
rance which is in thy mind about his person, 
and the prejudice against him, which is in 
thy carnal heart. These are in all men by 
nature ; and these Satan will work upon, in 
order to hinder the increase of thy faith. 
He will use all his cunning, and his power, 
to keep thee from growing in that knowledge 



40 

'Of Christ, which is eternal life. He will in- 
ject into thy heart blasphemous thoughts 
against his Godhead; and when thou art 
reading in Scripture, or hearing about his 
being God manifest in the flesh, he will try 
to puzzle and perplex thy imagination, with a 
How can these things be? He will represent 
the union of the two natures in Christ, as a 
thing not to be understood ; and as if they, 
who believed it with the clearest evidence of 
God's word and Spirit, had only some fancy 
about it. He has an old grudge against 
Christ, and will not scruple to tell any lies 
of him. He w^as a liar, from the beginning, 
and abode not in the truth. Regard him 
not. Mind what the word of truth says, and 
pray thou mayest understand it : for the 
more thou knowest of the Lord Christy that 
blessed God-man, the more wilt thou be set- 
tied, and established in him. It is written of 
him, first, that he is God, true and very God, 
in the holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity ; a 
person, co-equal and co-eternal with the Fa- 
ther and the Holy Spirit, Isa. ix. 6. " Unto 
us a child is born, who is the mighty God ;" 



41 

secondly, that he is Jehovah, which signifies 
the self-existent essence, Iscl xliii. 11. ''I, 
even 1, am Jehovah, and besides me, there 
is no Saviour;" from whence it is evident, 
that the Saviour is Jehovah, and that he ex- 
ists in a manner independent of, and distinct 
from all other beings and things. St. Jade 
makes the opposition to this fundamental 
truth, the condemning sin of certain here- 
tics, who denied Jesus Christ to be the onlv 
Lord God, and our Lord. In the covenant 
of grace, this divine person undertook to be 
made man. He who was true and very 
God, was made true and very man : he had a 
reasonable soul and human flesh, and was in 
all points like other men, sin excepted. And 
as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man^ 
so God and man is one Christ. This is the 
glorious person, who undertook, in the cove- 
nant of grace, to be man's surety. St. Faul 
calls him the surety of the New Testament ; 
and what could there be wanting in him for 
this high office ? He is every way qualified 
to be the surety for man, who is himself true 
and very man ; who is also God as well as 



42 

man ; and, therefore, has all the perfections 
of Jehovah to render what he did and suffer- 
ed, as man's surety, infinitely and everlast- 
ingly meritorious. 

This is the blessed object of faith ; God 
and man united in one Christ. Consider, 
then^ reader, what the Scripture says of his 
w onderful person, in order that thy faith in 
him may be established. That very self- 
existent God, who spake, and all things were 
made ; who commanded, and they stand fast 
to this very hour, was made flesh. He 
came to be the surety for his people, to 
obey and suffer in their stead. What could 
not his almighty power effect r Is any thing 
too hard for the lord God? What obedi- 
ence can his Father's law demand, which he 
is not infinitely able to pay? What suffer- 
ings can satisfy his Father's justice, which he 
is not absolutely qualified to endure? for he 
has every perfection and attribute equal with 
the Father. On this truth thoii must rest; and 
is it not a sure foundation ? In the certainty of 
it, thou must seek to be more grounded every 
day : because^ as thou growest in the know- 



43 

ledge of his divine person, thou wilt become 
more satisfied of his infinite sufliciency to 
save ; and fully convinced of this, thou wilt 
be enabled fi'om Scripture to answer and si- 
lence thine own unbelieving thoughts, and to 
reject the blasphemous suggestions of satan 
against the Lord Christ. Observe then that 
he is God, and that he is Jehovah. Read, 
and meditate on what the Scripture says of 
his Godhead, and pray that thou mayest be 
taught of God to understand it ; for no man 
can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Ho- 
ly Ghost. It is his office to glorify Jesus, by 
enabling thee to believe him to be Lord and 
God, and to call him thy Lord and thy God ; 
and to prove he is so, by thy humble de- 
pendence upon him for every blessing, both 
in time and in eternity. 

It is much to be lamented, that believers 
in general take so little pains to get a clear 
knowledge of the doctrine of the ever bles- 
sed Trinity : for want of which their faith is 
unsettled, and they are liable to many errors, 
both in judgment and practice. I would, 
therefore; most earnestly recommend it to all 



44 

that are weak in faith, to be diligent in hear- 
ing and reading what in scripture is revealed 
concerning the Trinity in unity ; looking up 
always for the inward teaching of the Holy 
Spirit : and I would direct them to a form of 
sound words in the common prayer-book for 
Trinity Sunday^ w^hich contains the shortest 
and best account of the subject, that I ever 
saw. ^^ It is very meet, right, and our 
bounden duty, that we should, at all times, 
and in all places, give thanks unto thee, O 
Lord, almighty, everlasting God : who art 
one God, and one Lord ; not one only person, 
but three persons in one substance : for that 
which we believe of the glory of the Father, 
the same we believe of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost, without any difference or ine- 
quality." These are precious words. Me- 
ditate, reader, upon tliem, and intreat the 
Holy Spirit to enlighten thine understanding 
wath the sav ing knowledge of them ; that be- 
ina established in the doctrine of the evei 

o 

blessed Trinity, and of the Godhead of the 
Lord Christ, thou mayest be enabled to over- 
come the difficulties wliich arose, 



45 

Secondly, From thy not being well tOo* 
quainted with the nature of Christ's salva- 
tion ; concerning which, young believers 
are apt to have many doubts. Carnal rea- 
son is strong in them. The spirit of bond- 
age resists with many and mighty arguments, 
and unbelief musters up all its forces ; and 
there is a long and obstinate fight against 
being saved freely and fully by the grace of 
Christ Jesus. But the arguments which CJod 
has provided in his w^ord, when applied by 
his Spirit, will prevail and overcome. Me- 
ditate upon them for the establishing of thy 
weak faith. Consider, first, the covenant. 
Salvation is not a thing of chance, or left to 
man's will or power; but it was contrived by 
the blessed Trinity in the covenant of grace, 
and every thing belonging to it was perfectly 
settled. It is said to be, Q Sam. xxiii. v5. an 
everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, 
and sure. O thou of little faith, why then 
dost thou doubt ? What ! doubt of God's 
love ? Here is a covenant springing from his 
mere love, and from everlasting. Doubt of 
'ts being well contrived ! Infinite wisdom or- 



46 
ders it in all things. Doubt of its being 
well executed ! It is in all things sure, sure 
as God's almighty power and faithfulness caa 
make it. What motives are here for the 
strengthening of thy faith? May the Lord 
render them effectual. 

Reflect, secondly, upon the undertakings 
of the Lord Christ, the surety of this cove- 
nant There was nothing left out of this 
covenant ; it was ordered in all things be- 
longing to salvation, and Christ undertook to 
perform all things on the part of his Father, 
that his law might be magnified, and his jus- 
tice made honourable and glorious ; and on 
the part of the sinner, that he might be saved 
from all evil, and entitled to all good. And 
being God and man united in one Christ, he 
was a proper surety to reconcile God to man^ 
and to reconcile man to God. May these 
things then sink deep into thy heart, that 
thy surety has undertaken the whole of thy 
salvation, to do all for thee, and all in thee^ 
and all by thee. What canst thou desire 
more for the settling of thy faith? 

3. Perhaps thou wilt say, his undertak- 
ings were great ; but has he fulfilled them ? 



47 
YeSj and so perfectly, that he is able to save 
to the uttermost. He was called Jesus, be- 
cause he was to save his people from their 
sins ; as their surety, he was to fulfil the law 
for them by his obedience, and to suffer the 
pains and penalties of it by his death and 
passion. Accordingly, in the fulness of time, 
he was manifest in the flesh, and came to do 
the will of his Father : of his obedience to 
that will he thus speaks. '' I have finished 
the work which thou gavest me to do." Of 
his suffering that will, he said with his last 
breath, '^ It is finished." Observe, whatever 
he undertook to do in his life and death, was 
finished ; and it was demonstrated, that, as 
man's surety, he had done and suffered every 
thing ordered in the covenant, by his resur- 
rection from the dead : for then did the Fa- 
ther declare him to be the Son of God with 
power. Will not all this satisfy thee, O thou 
of little faith ? Here is one more cause of 
thy doubting removed ; thou canst not deny 
but Christ has finished every thing he under- 
took ; and, in consequence thereof, he has all 
power in heaven and earth, to bestow a full 



48 

and finished salvation. What canst thou 
now object? 

4. Does a thought arise in thy heart ? It 
is finished ; but is it so freely given that such 
an umvorthy creature as I am, nriay partake 
of it ? Yes, it comes to thee in the way of a 
free gift. Great, inestimable, and eternal as 
it is, yet it is all thine in receiving. Not he 
who worketh, but he who believeth, is justifi^ 
ed from all things. It is by faith that be- 
lievers are justified and sanctified; are 
strengthened and comforted in their walk — 
by faith they fight against all their enemies, 
and by faith they conquer and lay hold of 
eternal life. And, therefore, it is all of faith, 
that it might be by grace. Salvation is 
wrought out and finished by thy Surety, given 
to thee freely ; continued with all its blessings 
in time and through eternity, as a free gift, to 
the praise of the glory of free grace. Why, 
therefore, art thou discouraged ? Hast thou 
nothing to buy with ? Then obey the Lord's 
command — Come and buy free salvation 
without money and without price. How 
should this motive still add to the establish- 



I 



^> 



49 
meat of thy faith ? For there thou seest what- 
ever thou wantest is thine by believing. Thou 
mayest have it freely by grace. It is treasur- 
ed up for thee in the fulness of thy dear Sa- 
viour, and thou canst not honour him more, 
than to make free use of it. What dost 
thou say to this ? Hast thou any thing to ob- 
ject? Canst thou find any fault with the cove- 
nant of grace, or with the undertakings of 
the God-man in it? No, certainly; the co- 
venant was well ordered in all things and 
sure ; and what the surety of the covenant 
undertook, he has perfectly fulfilled. Salva- 
tion is finished on his part — he has glorified 
the law by his infinitely perfect obedience 
— he has made divine justice honourable by 
his suff^erin^s and death — he has brought in 
everlasting righteousness for his people, and 
\yill bring; them to everlasting; g;lorv : for he has 
already taken possession of. it for them as e 
head of the body of the church; and he nas 
all power in heaven and earth, to save them 
day by day, until he make them partakers of 
his eternal salvation. What can thy heart 
wish for more than such a Saviour, and such 

E 



60 

a salvation ? O ! be not faithless, theil, but be- 
lieving; and if thou hast any doubts left, en- 
deavour to have them cleared up by reading 
and prayer, until thy faith be perfectly set- 
tled on the divinity of God thy Saviour, and 
the infinite sufficiency of his salvation. These 
two points lay at the very foundation of the 
christian religion. They must be supposed 
in all its principles, and built upon in all its 
practice; therefore, being of universal influ- 
ence, if they be thoroughly established, thy 
faith will be steadfast, and thy life well order- 
ed and comfortable. Examine then, and 
prove thyself here before thou readest any 
further. Dost thou believe Christ to be true 
and very God, in every perfection and attri- 
bute equal with the Father? And is his a full 
and a free salvation? All the following direc- 
tions depend upon, and can only profit thee, 
so far as thou believest these two points. 
Look w^ell then to thy establishment in them. 
If it be strong, the life of faith will be steady 
and prosperous; but if it be weak, thou wilt 
be liable to be tost about continually with 
errors, and overcome with temptations, e&- 



6\ 

pecially with those to which a legal spirit 
will expose thee, as I purposed to show un- 
der the 

Third general head ; in which is to be con- 
sideredj how the little children in Christ, for 
want of being established in the belief of his 
Godhead, and of his full and free salvation, 
labour under many doubts ; a legal spirit 
working with their unbelief, puts them upon 
reasoning continually against being saved 
freely by grace through faith. 

He is of a legal spirit, who is under the 
law, and apprehends himself bound to keep 
it as the condition of life, requiring of him, 
*^ Do this, and thou shalt live." In his under- 
standing he sees this, and no other way to 
life ; in his will he is continually inclined to 
it, and in his heart he loves it ; because he 
fancies it is in his own power to attain life 
in this way, and he can merit it by his own 
works, which mightily gratifies his self-love, 
and indulges his pride. This legal spirit 
reigns over all men in their natural state, 
but does not discover its tyranny, until it 
be opposed ; and then so soon as the soul 



5^ 

is quickened from a death in trespasses and 
sins, it begins to fight, trying to keep the 
poor sinner in bondage by its legal workings 
and strivings, and putting him upon seeking 
for some good disposition or qualification 
in himself, on account of which God should 
love him. Thus the awakened soul under 
the spirit of bondage, always seeks deliver- 
ance by the works of that law^ which can 
do nothing more than bring him to the 
knowledge of sin, discover to him the ex- 
ceeding sinfulness of it; and the exceeding 
great punishment w^hich it deserves ; by 
ivhich means it is always nourishing the 
doubts and fears of unbelief. And after 
the Lord has in a measure removed them 
by a clear discovery of the salvation that is 
in Jesus, and by the gift of faith, j^et still 
this legal spirit will be trying to bring the 
soul into bondage again to fear ; and it too 
often prevails. Young believers find it the 
worst enemy they have to deal with. It is 
a sly, subtle foe, that seems to intend them 
a kindness, while it is always on the side of 
their greatest enemy. It w ould appear tQ 



63 
them to be actuated by a zeal for God, but 
it is to eclipse the glory of the Lord Christ, 
to take away the all-sufficiency of his sal- 
vation, and to rob them of their great joy 
and peace in believing. 

If anv one should ask, how this leg-al 
spirit comes to have such power over man- 
kind ? The scripture informs us, 

First, that all men, being God's creatures, 
are under the law to him, bound to keep 
it ; or bound, if they transgress, to suffer the 
threatened pains and penalties. In this 
state man was created, and in it all men 
are by nature ; and therefore there is in us 
all a continual leaning to the law, and a de- 
sire to attain righteousness by the works of 
it. We are all wedded to this way of gain- 
ing God's favour. The apostle says, there 
is a marriage union between us and the law, 
and, like an husband, it has dominion over 
us as long as it liveth ; so that ^e oannot 
be married to Christ, until that be dead 
^^herein we were held. You may see this 
^Hkhe Jews. Kow does ]Moses labour to 

oPing them off from an opinion of their own 
E S2 



54 

righteousness? And a greater than Moses 
has done the same in his discourses against 
the scribes and pharisees : yea, tiie apostles 
of our Lord were forced to write and preach 
against this leaning to the law, it gave such 
disturbance to the true disciples of Christ. 
And notwithstanding the scripture arguments 
against it, yet we have great numbers among 
us, who seek for a justifying righteousness 
by the works of the law. And they are put 
upon seeking this. 

Secondly, from their ignorance of the law. 
They are not acquainted with its nature; 
for it demands what they cannot pay. It 
insists upon an obedience, spiritual, perfect 
and uninterrupted : for the least offence, if 
but in thought, it comes with its fearful 
sentence, Cursed is every one who continu- 
cth not in all things that are written in the 
book of the law to do them. On him who 
does not continue in all things, and not one 
man ever did, this sentence takes place ; and 
if he w as to live a thousand years he could 
not da any thing to repeal it. The law will 
always be to him the ministration of condem- 



55 

nation, and the ministration of death, and 
that is all it can do for him. It provides no 
remedy, and gives him no liope, but leaves 
him condemned to tlie first and to the se- 
cond death ; and yet such is the blindness 
of the sinner, that he will be still leaning to 
the law, and afraid to trust wholly to the 
righteousness of Christ ; and this arises, 

Thirdly, From his ignorance of Christ's 
righteousness, which is inifinitely perfect, 
and wants no works of the law to be joined 
w ith it in the justifying of a sinner : because 
it is the righteousness of God, wrought out 
by the God-man for his people; and it is the 
righteousness of faith : they receive it by faith 
without w^orks; so that it is directly opposite 
to the righteousness of a legal spirit. Hence 
we have many among us, great professors 
too, who are ignorant of God's righteous- 
ness ; they have not been entirely brought oft* 
from a legal bottom, and therefore they talk 
of being justified without a justifying righte- 
ousness, which if God was to do, he would 
be unrighteous; and which, as he has declar- 
ed he will not do; their iancied justification 



56 

leaves them still in their sins. They dare 
not put their whole trust and confidence in 
the righteousness of Christ imputed unto sin- 
ners, and made theirs by faith. They have 
many fears about imputed righteousness, al- 
though the apostle has not scrupled to mention 
it eleven times in one chapter, Rom. iv. and 
these fears make them read the scripture with 
such prejudice that they say they cannot find 
the expression, y^/V/z in the 7vghteousness of 
Christ., in all the bible. They may find the 
sense of the expression in Moses and in all 
the prophets, and the very words in 2 Pet. 
i. 1. " Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle 
of Jesus Christ, to them who have obtained 
like precious faith with us in, (the Greek is l^,) 
in the righteousness of God and our Saviour 
Jesus Christ." Here is failh in the righteous- 
ness of Christ, with several glorious titles to 
recommend it, namely, it is the righteous- 
ness of God, of God our Saviour, of Jesus 
Christ. From whence can men's opposition to 
this w^ay of justification arise, but from their 
not being convinced by the Spirit of God of 
the necessity of Christ's righteousness ? It is 



his peculiar office to convince of this truth. 
No teaching but his can do it. O, that he 
may do it in the hearts of those, who, out of 
zeal for God, though not accordmg to know- 
ledge, eclipse the glory of the Lord, and rob 
afflicted consciences of their comfort by 
opposing imputed righteousness ! It is a right- 
eousness of so high and heavenly a nature, 
wrought out by another, and so wonderful a 
person ; is bestowed as a free gift upon the 
chief of sinners, w^hereby alone they obtain re- 
mission of their sins, and are made partakers 
of the kingdom of heaven; and they receive 
it by faith only, without works, which a legal 
spirit always wants to mix with it, that no 
one could ever believe in it, unless it were 
given him from above. May it be given 
to those professors who cannot yet submit to 
the righteousness of Christ to see their want 
of it, and with the heart to believe in it 
unto salvation. 

Reader, hast thou not found what an 
enemy this legal spirit is to thy peace and 
joy, and how it is always inclining thee to 
some self-righteousnesS; through thy igno- 



58 

r^nce of the righteousness of the law, and 
of the righteousness of faith? And wouldst 
thou gladly be delivered from it? Know 
then that nothing can subdue it; but the 
bringing into thy conscience a better hope 
from a better righteousness, than that of the 
law; and when thou art enabled to plead it 
there against all the charges of sin and satan, 
then thou wilt stand fast in the liberty 
wherewith Christ hath made thee free. His 
is a better righteousness : it is infinitely per- 
fect and everlasting, even the righteousness 
of God ; by faith in this righteousness thou 
shalt be saved from the law, and shalt re^- 
eeive remission of sins : through it the Father 
doth accept thee, and give thee the Spirit of 
his Son to lead and comfort and sanctify thee; 
he doth love thee and bless thee, as his dear 
child, making all things work together under 
him for thy good, and keeping thee by his 
mighty power through faith unto salvation : so 
that in and on account of this righteousness 
thou shalt be saved from all the evils of sin, 
and receive all spiritual blessings in earth 
and heaven. And this thou shalt have freely^ 



59 
without any merit, or work ot the law : tor 
this righteousness comes wholly by grace, and 
is for thee, a sinner, as such; and is to justify 
thee from the condemnation of the law ; to 
turn its curses into blessings, and its threat- 
ened punishments into happiness. And this 
it can do for thee perfectly and everlastingly; 
so that being found in this righteousness, 
there is no grace promised in time, or glory 
in eternity, but it shall be thine. The Lord 
God promises them to thee in the fullest and 
freest manner; to thee, without any exception 
or limitation, being a sinner, and ungodly, 
though oneof the vilest and basest; yet to thee, 
as such, is the word of this salvation sent. 
And it will be all thine in the comfortable 
enjoyment of it, through believing. Thou art 
to brinor nothinjr to recommend thee, but 
that thou art a sensible sinner, and thy right 
and title to a finished salvation is clear from 
the warrant of God's word, when thou 
believest with thy heart in the righteousness 
of Christ. The divine command is, believe mi 
the Lord Jesus Christ : the promise is, 
^vhosocver believeth in him, shall not perish; 



60 

shall receive remission of sins ; shall be jus- 
tified from all things ; shall have everlasting 
life. Why then dost thou lean to works^** 
since salvation is by faith? Why dost thou 
disquiet thyself about attaining the righteous- 
ness of the law, and thereby suffer the law to 
disturb the peace of thy conscience, since 
thou hast a far better righteousness, which 
ought to reign there, even the righteousness 
which is of God by faith ? For thou art a 
believer, and although a w^eak one, yet thou 
hast as good a title to Christ and his 
righteousness as the strongest believer in 
the world : because thy right comes from the 
free grant of the word of grace, and is 
apprehended by faith, by which all things 
are become thine. Thou art an heir of them 
all by faith in Christ Jesus. O, thou of 
little faith, why then dost thou doubt? 
Remember, how highly thou dishonorest 
the infinite love and free salvation of Jesus; 
and how^ much thou robbest thy own soul of 
its peace, and of its growth in grace, by thy 
weak and little faith. Think upon these 
thinjrs, and intreat the Author and Finisher 
of this faith to strengthen it in thy soul. 



61 
But perhaps thou wilt say, How shall 1 
so live upon Christ with luy weak faith that 
it may grow stronger, and I may get the 
better of my legal spirit r Here is the re- 
medy ; may it be to thee effectual ! The 
scripture directs thee to look at Christ God- 
man as thy surety, who for thee has wrought 
out a finished salvation ; and whatever he 
has promised in his word relating to this 
salvation, thou art to trust him for the 
making of it good, and to depend upon his 
faithfulness and power to make it good to 
thee. Whatever, therefore, he has done and 
suffered to save thee from the curse of the 
law, and from the spirit of bondage, and to 
make thee free with the liberty ol the chil- 
dren of God, thou art to live upon him for 
these blessings ; and by faith to be always 
receiving them from iiim in the fullest and 
largest measure, that he promises them to 
thee. Look not into thyself tiien for any 
qualification, but look unto Jesus ; that 
thou mayest experience more of that liberty 
wherewith he hath made thee free, and 

ma3'est be no longer a babe, unskilful in the 

F 



02 

word of righteousness. Hear what he says, 
'^ If the Son shall make you free, ye shall 
be free, indeed ; free from the law of 
sin and death, free from condemnation at 
the bar of God : and being freed from 
the bondage of corruption, ye shall be 
brought into the glorious liberty of the 
children of God, heirs of God, and joint 
heirs with Christ." This is the freedom 
which God promises thee : it is very ex- 
tensive, has many noble privileges, and vast 
blessings. By faith all is thine. See how 
perfectly believers have received all, and 
may thy faith be like theirs. Rojn. viii. 15. 
8^c. ^' Ye have not received the spirit of 
bondage again to fear, but ye have received 
the spirit of adoption, whereby we pray, 
Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth 
witness to our spirits, that we are the chiK 
dren of God ; and if children, then heirs, 
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ." 
Observe what is here said of the believing 
Romans, and by faith thou shalt experience 
the same, as perfectly as they did. 

1, They were freed from the spirit of 



63 
bondage, ilnder which they ouce had la- 
boured : 

12. They were so freed as to be under it 
no more ; they were not to fear again, as 
heretofore : for, 

3. They had received the Spirit of adop- 
tion, and he gave them tiie evidence of their 
sonship. Upon which, 

4. They believed God was their recon- 
ciled Father, and they had boldness and 
access to him with confidence. And, there- 
fore, 

5. They lived in light, and walked ia 
love, like his children and heirs, who were 
to abide in his house for ever. 

See also what threat freedom the Gala? 
tians had, chap. iv. 4, (^r. '^ God sent 
forth his Son, made of a woman, made un- 
der the law, to redeem them that were un- 
der the law, that we might receive the adop- 
tion of sons. And because ye are sons, 
God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son 
into your hearts, crying Abba, Father : 
wherefore thou art no more a servant, but 
a son, and if a son, then an heir of God 



64 

through Christ." O what treasures of grace 
and consolation are there in this scripture, 
tending to subdue thy legal spirit. Con- 
sider some of them. 

1. All men having broken the law, and 
being under the curse of it, Christ was made 
under the law, that the law might reach 
him as the surety of his people ; accord- 
ingly, 

2. By his obedience to the precepts, and 
by his suffering the penalties of the law, he 
redeemed his people, who were under the 
law ; so that, 

3. They are no longer in bondage to it, 
but being made free, and having received 
the adoption of sons, 

4. They have the spirit of liberty sent 
into their hearts, to witness to them, that 
Christ fulfilled the law for them ; and, 

5. That the Father loves them, as his 
dear children, and they love him and serve 
him without fear, crying to him Abba, Fa- 
ther ; 

6. Wherefore they are no longer servants 
in bondage to any one, but are made free in- 



05 

deed, being now the sons of God through 
faith in Christ Jesus. And, 

7. If sons, then heirs of God, and free to 
inherit whatever he has promised to give 
his children in earth and heaven. 

These and many more arguments are con- 
tained in" this one scripture, tending to sub- 
due thy legal spirit, and to bring th^e to live 
more comfortably by faith upon Christ, w^ho 
as thy surety has fully kept the law for thee 
in his life and death. Thou art to consider 
thj'self now^, not under the law, but under 
grace, and therefore absolutely free from the 
condemning power of the law. This thou 
must maintain against all the carnal reason- 
ings of thy legal spirit, Christ is my law- 
jul)ilki\ And thou wilt glorify him for re- 
deeming thee from under the law, and wilt 
live in sweet peace in thine ow n conscience, 
while thou keepest fast hold of this most 
blessed and eternally precious truth. May 
all thy reading and prayer, and the use of 
all means help thee to grow in the knowledge 
and experience of it ! 

There is a very strong bias and leaning in 
F2 



66 

weak believers to a legal spirit^ which ought 
to make them read such promises as I have 
been mentioning over and over again, that 
God may thereby encourage them to main- 
tain the liberty which he hath given them in 
Christ Jesus, and to stand fast in it against 
the fresh attacks of the devil and unbelief 
They should be always jealous over them- 
selves, and watchful against their enemies : 
because after they have in a truly gospel 
and evangelical way through grace, got their 
legal spirit subdued ; yet if it be not in the 
same way kept subdued, it will break out 
with more power than ever, and will be like- 
ly to bring them into bondage again to fear. 
And this may, and I have known it often 
happen, after they had obtained some great 
victories over it, and finding it not stir for 
some time, they flattered themselves they 
should have but little trouble with it any 
more. Thus they were drawn off their 
guard, which gave room to their legal spirit 
io exert itself again with vigour. This sur- 
prised the weak believers, put them upon 
reasoning and doubting, whether all had 



67 

been riglit with them before ; and so at the 
very time vviieil they should liave taken the 
shield of faith, and should have been making 
use of it, they were questioning whether 
they had any, which left them unarmed in 
the midst of their enemies, an easy prey 
to every temptation ; but an invisible power 
kept them safe, although they were not com- 
fortable in themselves. 

For the encouragement of persons in this 
case, that they may presently recover them- 
selves out of the snare of the devil, they 
should observe, 

1. What the Scripture says of a legal 
spirit, describing it to be one of the members 
of their corrupt nature ; one of the affections 
of the flesh, which will never be quite dead 
while the breath is in their bodies. It is an 
enemy that will be always fighting against 
the Holy Spirit : for they are directly con- 
trary the one to the other; and therefore be- 
lievers nmst not dream of any such victory 
as leaves no more fighting; but must ex- 
pect sharp battles vuih their legal spirit^ as 
long as ever they live. And, 



68 

Secondly, The same means, by which > 
they formerly obtained victory, must be made 
use of again. As often as the legal spirit is 
tempting, Christ's strength must be op- 
posed to it, and his strength must be brought 
into the soul by faith in his righteousness, 
as it is v/ritten, Isa. xlii. 24. " Surely 
shall one sav, in the Lord have I righteous- 
ness and strencrth." Righteousness comes 
first, and is established in the conscience, 
that it may be pleaded and maintained there 
against all the charges and accusations of 
the law. And as often as these arise 
afresh, still they must be answered and si- 
lenced with this plea — in the Lord Christ 
have I righteousness ; he is my law-fulfiller, 
and I depend upon his promised strength to 
make me stand fast in that liberty where- 
with he hath made me free. And the soul 
must not only thus quiet and stay itself by 
faith upon the righteousness and strength of 
Christ for victory over the present tempta- 
tion, but must also. 

Thirdly, continually do this ; because there 
is in our nature a continual opposition to it 



69 
The experience of which is the believer's 
safety. The abiding sense of his being na- 
turally inclined to lean to legal dependences, 
and therefore his want of Christ every mo- 
ment to justify him by his righteousness, and 
to keep him by his strength, will be the 
surest way to prevent his falling into bond- 
age ; for this will keep him very jealous over 
himself, and will show^ him the necessity of 
living out of himself for righteousness and 
strength ; and wdiile he liveth upon Christ for 
these by faith, he shall not be overcome by 
any enemy. 

The glory of the incarnate God, and his 
infinite sufficiency to save, have not a great- 
er enemy than a legal spirit ; and, therefore, 
I have enlarged upon this point, that believ- 
ers might be convinced from the word of 
God they were saved from the condemnation 
of the law^ They will never live comforta- 
bly, till they see the law dead and buried, 
and then willingly give up themselves to be 
espoused to Christ, who will make them free 
indeed. And when they have learned of him 
to enjoy and walk in their Christian liberty. 



ro 

then they will be better acquainted with the 
warfare between nature and grace, the old 
man and the new, the flesh and the spirit, 
which warfare is the 

Fourth great hindrance, that stops the 
growth of faith in weak believers. They are 
unskilful in it, soon tired of it, and often 
likely to be defeated. They do not enter in- 
to the battle strong in the Lord, and in the 
power of his nnight; nor are they certain, if 
they fall in battle, they shall be saved with 
an eternal salvation. These are great dis- 
couragements ; and until these be removed, 
they cannot fight the good fight of faith, like 
good soldiers of Christ Jesus. 

The case is thus : There is in every believ- 
er an old man, and a new man---nature and 
grace— flesh and spirit; and these are oppo- 
site and contrary, the one to the other, in 
their principles and actions : they are always 
desiring different things, and pursuing differ- 
ent ends, which occasions a continual war 
between them. The flesh lusteth always a- 
gainst the spirit, and has many and mighty al- 
lies on its side; armies of lusts, the faculties 



71 

of soul and body to bring forth ^in, hosts of 
fallen an eels, and all the world that laveth iil 
wickedness. But the new man, renewed in 
the spirit of his mind has a reconciled God 
on his side ; and, therefore, he need not fear 
what any enemy can do unto him, but may 
bravely face the stoutest of tiiem, even death 
itself, relying upon tkat sure word of pro- 
mise, / Xi^ill never leave thee nor forsake 
thee. Here is the believer's encouragement 
to fight, his God will never leave him ; here 
he obtains victory every day, his God ne- 
ver forsakes him : and after he has fought 
the sood ficrht of faith, his God and Saviour 
will make him more than conqueror ; he w ill 
send death to kill sin : and then the believer 
will never more have temptation from it, no¥ 
sorrow about it. But till that happy time 
come, he must be fio^htins; acjainst his corrupt 
nature and all its allies. No peace can be 
made with them, not even a truce. He must 
expect no kind of favour from them ; be- 
cause they are God's irreconcileable ene- 
mies ; and, therefore, as long as he is in the 
^vorld, he must be fighting acrainst the world : 



72 



as long as he has a body of flesh, he must 
oppose it with its affections and lusts ; be- 
cause they war against the soul ; and as long 
as he is in the reach of temptation, he must 
oppose the tempter, steadfast in the faith, 
never putting off his armour, until the Lord 
give him a discharge. 

The believer's peace within, and victory 
without, are closely connected with the clear 
understanding of this case, and, although 1 
have stated it from the w^ord of God, and 
agreeably to the sense in which the church of 
God has always interpreted it, yet, for its 
more full confirmation, some testimonies must 
be brought, which speak to the very point ; 
first, to the believer's having in him an old 
man and a new ; secondly, that these two are | 
at war ; and, thirdly, that they fight together 
till death. 

First, The apostle says to the saints at 
Ephesus, chap. iv. 22, &c. '' Put off the old 
man, put on the new." Mind, the same 
persons had both in them an old man, cor- 
rupt according to his deceitful lusts, daily to 
be put off, and a new man to be put on, and 



73 

renewed day by day in the spirit of his mind. 
The old man is described to have a body of 
sin with all his members, his affections, and 
lusts ; these must not be obeyed, but mortifi- 
ed. '^ Let not sin reign in your mortal bo- 
dy, that ye should obey it in the lusts there- 
of, neither yield ye your members as instru- 
ments of unrighteousness unto sin." l{o7n. 
vi. 12, 13. The saints at Rome had sin in 
them, and it w anted to reign as it had done 
heretofore in the lusts thereof; but, 

Secondly, They were not to obey them. 
There was in them a new man, who w as to 
fight against those fleshly lusts which war 
against the soul. " The flesh lusteth against 
the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, and 
these are contrary the one to the other; so 
that ye cannot do the things that ye would." 
GaL V. 17. Here is battle between two, the 
flesh, the w hole nature of the old man ; and 
the spirit, the new man born again of the 
spirit : the cause of it is, the one wills what 
the other hates ; each wants to carry his own 
will into execution, and these being contrary 
the one to the other, they fight for mastery : 

G 



74 

in the battle, the flesh, the old man, is defeat- 
ed, and the spirit working in the new man 
conquers ; and this lusting and lighting is in 
one and the same person, in him v\^io is said 
to be not under the law, to be led by the spi- 
rit, and to live and to walk in the spirit. In 
Rom. viii. 7. the apostle calls the flesh the 
carnal mind, and he says, '' It is enmity 
against God : for it is not subject to the law 
of God, neither indeed can be," Since it is 
enmity itself, there is no reconciling it; it will 
not, nay, it cannot obey God ; but it is ever 
lusting and rebelling against his law\ The 
nature of the battle is described at length in 
Rom. vii. The chapter consists of three 
parts : first, the believer's liberty from the 
law, to ver. 6. — secondly, he answers some ob- 
jections made against the law from its nature 
and properties, and that in his own person; 
because it had been the means of bringing 
him to the right knowledge of sin, ver. 7. — 
and sin being discovered by the law through 
the corruption of nature, raged and rebelled 
the more in him, ver. 8. — and the law had 
made him sensible of God's anger against 



75 

sin, and of his deserving death and hell for 
it, ver. 9 — 14 : and from thence to the end of 
the chapter, he describes the conflict between 
the old man and the new ; the one consent- 
ing to the law, and the other resisting the 
law. In this conflict there were three sharp 
attacks ; in the first, he found in himself two 
contrary principles of action, always resist- 
ing each other, the old man fighting against 
the new, from ver. 14 — 18. secondly, when 
the will of the new man w^as good, through 
the opposition of the old man, it had not the 
desired effect, ver. 19, 20. and, thirdly, he 
felt in himself two contrary laws, both requir- 
ing obedience ; the law of the members war- 
ring and rebelling against the law of God 
written in the renewed mind : for no sooner 
did his mind, guided by the Holy Spirit, set 
about any thing which God's law command- 
ed, but he found the law of the members 
making a strong resistance. This he groaned 
under as an heavy burden, and was humbled 
for it before God, expecting pardon from him, 
and victory every day, and perfect deliver- 
ance at last. 



76 

I cannot enlarge upon this chapter. Turn 
to it, and read it over upon the plan which 
I have here laid down, remembering all 
along, that St. Paul is describing himself. 
He ten times says it is himself he is speak- 
ing of, from ver 7. to ver. 14. where he is 
showing; of what use the law had been to 
him, when he was first convinced of sin; and 
from thence to the end he mentions him- 
self thirty-eight times. / the apostle Paul, 
I myself] my very self, and not another; / 
myself airij now at this present, at the very 
time ot writing this ; 1 myself] whom the law 
of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath 
made free from the law^ of sin and death ; 
I myself, to whom now there is no condem- 
nation; for I am in Christ Jesus, and I walk 
after the Spirit, am still at war with sin that 
dwelleth in me, with the old man, Avith the 
flesh, with the law of the members, with 
the body of sin. Although I have a new 
nature, and God is on my side, yet it is a 
hard and a sharp battle. I find it so. The 
length of it makes it stili more painful, and 
forces me to cry out, '' O wTetched man 



1 



77 
that I am! who shall deliver me from the 
body of this death ?" Paul was not out of 
God's favour, or accursed ; but, as the 
word rendered xcretched means, he was 
weary and tired with this continual fighting ; 
troubled with the filthy motions of sin rising 
and striving, and rebelling in him, and giv- 
ing him no rest ; this was such a hard war- 
fare, that he was ever looking out and pray- 
ing, '' Who shall deliver me r" He meant 
wholly, perfectly, deliver me from this cor- 
ruption. He sighed for it, not because he 
doubted of an absolute deliverance, but 
because he had sure and certain hope of it ; 
not because he was ignorant who his de- 
liverer was, but because he had steadfast 
faith in him. '' Thanks be to God, through 
Jesus Christ." This comforted him, and 
kept him fighting on wdth courage. He 
knew^ that he should gain the victory, and 
through Christ, not through his own virtues 
or W'Orks, but through faith in the life and 
death, in the blood and righteousness of 
Christ, he should at last be more than con- 
fjueror. 

G2 



78 

Since this was the case with the apostk, 
who can expect a discharge from this war- 
fare, until death ? What ! says one, is it to 
continue so long? Yes. The scripture is 
very clear to this point, as I was, thirdly, to 
show. 

The seat of the corruption of the old man 
or of the flesh is not only in our nature, but 
is also our very nature itself That which 
is born of the flesh is flesh, altogether carnal 
and corrupt. It is a filthy fountain, always 
sending forth impure strearris ; and therefore 
while the believer is in the body, he must 
either be fighting against the flesh, or else 
be led captive by it. We that are, says 
Paul, in this tabernacle of flesh, do groan, 
being burdened with sin and sorrow. And 
when did they expect an end of their 
groaning, and rest from their burdens ? Not 
till the tabernacle was dissolved by death. 
Ourselves, says he, who have the first fruics 
of the spirit, even we ourselves groan with- 
in ourselves, waiting for the adoption ; to 
wit, the redemption of our body. The body 
will be redeemed from the grave, and raised 



79 

like the glorious body of Jesus Christ ; this 
is promised, and this we wait for, and until 
death deliver us from this mortal, corrupti- 
ble body, we shall be groaning under the 
burden of it. This was St. PaiiVs case. 
He had long sighed to be discharged from 
his warfare, and like an old weary tired 
soldier, he wished the hard tedious campaign 
was ended, that he might enter into rest ; 
but hear with what joy he at last cries out, 
" I have fought the good fight." Have 
fought it ? What T is the battle over ? Yes, 
just over. — ^' I am now ready to be offered, 
and the time of my departure is at hand — 
I have finished my course." — My battle and 
my life are finished together, and so must 
thine, reader : Thou art to resist unto blood, 
strivinc^ arainst sin : for thou art called to 
fight the good fight of faith until thou lay hold 
of eternal life. Since thou art a believer, 
however weak, and hast a new man in thee, 
as well as an old, they \\\\\ be fighting 
against each other, till thou finish thy 
course. And if this discourage thee, consi- 
der what God has spoken concerning this 



^0 

warfare, and what exceeding great and pre- 
cious promises he has made to them who 
are engaged in it. He has promised to par- 
don those corruptions of the old man, to 
subdue them, and to deliver thee from the 
very being of them. Canst thou desire 
more ? Mark well what he says to thee, and 
be not faithless, but believing. 

First, although the believer has an old man 
corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, al- 
w^ays warring against the new man, yet the 
Lord God has promised a ft^ee and a full 
pardon; because he has imputed sin, all 
thy sin, to the Son of his love, who bore it 
in his own body upon the tree. After the 
Apostle in Rom, vii. had described the bat- 
tle between them, he makes this inference; 
*' There is therefore now no condemnation 
to them who are in Christ Jesus," — to 
them who are in Christ, united by faith as 
members to him their head, and thereby 
partakers of his righteousness, there is noWj 
while they are fighting against their corrup- 
tions, no condemnation ; '^ For, says he, the | 
law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath 



81 

made me free from the law of sin and of 
death," Bom. viii. 2. These words demon- 
strate, that Paul was speaking of himself in 
the 7th chapter. /Mthough he had the cor- 
ruption of nature still in him, and was fight- 
ing against it, yet being in Christ by faith 
he was made free from the guilt and punish- 
ment due to it; therefore he had, and every 
believer shall have, a full pardon. In con- 
sequence of which, 

Secondly, he shall subdue the corruptions 
of the old man. This is promised, and shall 
be made good. The Lord encourages be- 
lievers to oppose the reign of sin in their 
mortal body, and not to obey it in the lusts 
thereof, with this promise — '^ Sin shall not 
have dominion over you," Rom, vi, 14. — 
Ye are under grace, and grace is almighty 
to subdue sin : because it is atoned for. In 
like manner he says to the Galatians, v. 16. 
'' Walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfil 
the lusts of the flesh." Ye shall not fulfil 
them either in word or deed. The lusts of the 
flesh will be in you, but not one of them shall 
reign over you : the spirit of Jesus will teach 



82 

you to resist, and enable you to overcome 
them; yea, to crucify and mortify them day 
by day. And besides this the Lord has 
promised, 

Thirdly, deliverance from the very being 
of thy corruptions. The time is coming, 
when they shall not exist in the believer, nor 
any more be suffered to tempt him. He 
shall be made holy and blameless, without 
spot or ,wrinkle of sin, or any such thing. In 
this perfect state the Father now sees him, 
and accepts him in the beloved, and after 
death admits the soul into his presence, 
cleansed with the blood, clothed with right- 
eousness, adorned with the graces of his 
dear Son ; and body, soul, and spirit, shall 
be in this perfect state in the day of our 
Lord Jesus Christ — ^they shall be unblame- 
able in holiness before God, even our 
father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus 
Christ with all his saints. It doth not yet 
appear how great a perfection of holiness 
this will be; but we know that when he shall 
appear, we shall then be like him : for wx 
ahall see him as he is. 



S3 

Such are the divme promises.- And dost 
thou not see from hence, reader, what great 
things thou art to expect in thy present 
warfare ? If thou sayest, How shall I attain 
all that is promised ? Know^ that it is to 
come to thee by faith. Christ, and all that he 
has, is thine, upon believing ; and particular- 
ly a free pardon for indwelling sin, as well as 
for any other. Consider him as thy surety, 
God- man, taking thy sins and sufferings upon 
himself, to save thee from them. By his life 
and death he has obtained full salvation, 
which he gives to thee freely ; and thou 
hast received it. Thou canst not deny but 
thou art a believer, and it is written — 
^' All that believe are justified from all 
things," from the corruption of their nature 
as well as the corruptions of their lives. 
Knovv then, that there is no condemnation to 
thee. The Judge himself says so. And w hen 
he acquits, who shall lay any thing to thy 
charge ? Here thou must hold through the 
power of the Lord, if thou wouldest have 
thy spiritual warfare successfully conducted. 
Abide by the sentence of God, and keep 



1 



84 

condemnation out of thy conscience. Have 
it ready to plead against all charges, from 
whatever quarter they come, that Christ 
hath made me free from the law of sin and 
of death. 

Here I must refer thee back to what has 
been said concerning Christ and his finished 

K..J 

salvation. Thou now seest how necessary 
it is thou shouldest be well established in 
the belief of his Godhead, and the infinite 
sufficiency of his salvation : so that he is 
both able and willing to save thee from all 
thy sins, and all the misery due to them, 
and to bestow upon thee eternal happiness, 
and to bring thee by his almighty power 
safe to the eternal enjoyment of it. All 
this he will give thee, not for working, but 
in believing. I entreat thee, therefore, to 
read again and again, what has been before 
said upon these subjects ; and the good 
Lord help thee to apply it to thy present 
case, that thou mayest be fully assured thou 
art in Christ, and that there is no condem- 
nation to thee. 

But perhaps thou art ready to say 



8J 

Steadfastly do 1 believe all tliis ; but 1 do 
not find such victory over my corruptions 
as I could ^A ish ; nay, I think at times they 
ra^e more than ever. Here thou forgettest 
the Lord thy strength. Thou dost not 
make use of him, and therefore thou fail- 
est. The woman with the bloody issue 
grew worse and worse, till she went to 
Christ : so wilt thou. Why is it given thee 
to know Christ in the spirit, but that thou 
shouldest go to him daily, and plead his pro- 
mise — Lord, thou hast declared, that sin 
shall not have dominion over thy people ; I 
believe this word of thine cannot be broken; 
and therefore, helpless in myself, I rely upon 
thy faithfulness to save me from the domin- 
ion of such and such a sin (as then tempts 
thee) — Put forth thy power, O Lord Christ, 
and get thyself glory in subduing my flesh, 
^vith its affections and lusts. And then 
trust him to make his word good, and wait 
the event. Sooner shall heaven and earth 
pass away, than sin, any sin thus left with 
Christ to be subdued, shall reign over thee- 

If thou sayest, I think I seek for victory 
H 



86 

over sin in no other way, and yet I do not 
attain it so completely as I desire ; de- 
pend upon it thou art under some mistake : 
for Christ is almighty to fulfil every pro- 
mise in its largest sense and fullest mean- 
ing ; and there never was a believer who 
could justly charge him with the breach of 
his word. Perhaps thou dost believe, that 
power to subdue sin comes from Christ, 
and thou art expecting it from him ; but 
hast thou not some legal dependence, some 
notion of thy own working together with 
him ? Search and see. Dost thou commit 
ALL to the Lord, who is to do all and in 
ALL? Is the whole battle left to him? wis- 
dom, and courage, and armour, and strength, 
and patience, and victory, are all from the 
Lord. If thou art not doing this simply, 
thou art not living by faith upon Christ, 
but thou art fighting in thine own strength, 
^nd depending upon some inherent stock of 
grace, or knowledge, or experience. While 
these proud selfish motives put thee upon 
asking his help, he will not give it thee : 
because thou dost not wholly depend upon 
liim for it 



87 
Or perhaps Christ does not appear on thy 
side, because thou art proposing some 
wrong end. Thou art working and striving 
against sin to establish a righteousness of 
thine own, which h to be some part of thine 
acceptance before God ; and thou hast been 
trying in thine own strength to get thy cor- 
ruptions quite subdued, but they were too 
strong for thee ; and therefore now thou art 
glad to make use of Christ's help. And if 
he would do the work for thee, then thou 
wouldest have confidence in the flesh ; and 
this thy fancied holiness would be the ground 
of thy rejoicing before God. Is it not so? 
If it be, thou wilt never succeed upon this 
plan. Christ Vvill not give his glory to an- 
other, nor put the crov> n of his gospel grace 
upon the head of thy legal dependence. 

Or perhaps thou art expecting from 
Christ, what he has not promised, such a 
victory over thy corruptions that they shall 
not fight again for some time, or that they 
shall be quite dead and buried. And so 
they shall be in the Lord's appointed time. 
But now he calls upon thee to fight against 



8S 

tKem, he provides thee armour for that puF- 
pose, evea the whole armour of God; and 
he requires thee to resist unto blood, striving 
against sin, promising thee daily victory. 
This is thy present state of warfare. To 
this thou art now called, and there is no 
discharge in this war. O beware then, as 
thou lovest thy soul, of a false peace. Thou 
wilt be sadly deluded, if thou ever suppo- 
gest that thy fighting is over, before thy 
course be finished. The good ftdit of faith 
Jinust continue till death : for till then, cor- 
ruption being in thee, thou must oppose it, 
relying upon God for promised victory over 
it. He is able to save thee from the very 
being of it now, as well as in heaven. But 
it is not his mind and will. Here he will 
have thee to live by faith, which is ©very 
moment to keep thee dependent upon Christ, 
or thou wilt fall. This is to exalt his grace, 
and to subdue thy selfish legal spirit, to 
humble thy pride, to put thee upon prayer 
and watchfulness, to malce sin more hateful, 
and heaven more desirable, and to secure 
the glory of every victory to him, whose 






89 

strength is perfected in thy weakness. These 
are some of his gracious purposes in keep- 
ing thee continually dependant upon his 
strength; and if he has made thee willing to 
fight and conquer to the praise of the glory 
of his grace, then thou wilt experience 
that blessed promise — '' sin shall not have 
dominion over thee." And it will not be long 
before sin shall not have a being in thee. 
Reader, if thou hast fallen into these or 
any other mistakes concerning the subduing 
of thy corruptions, mind what is written, and 
what is promised. Having first received, 
through faith in the blood of Christ, the 
pardon of thy sin, then as one of his good 
soldiers thou art to fight against it all thy 
life. He being on thy side promises to sub- 
due sin for thee. Without him thou canst 
do nothing in this warfare, and therefore thy 
faith resting on his promise is to wait the 
fulfilling of it. He has given thee his word, 
that he will use his almighty power for this 
purpose. To that word must thou look, be- 
lieving that Christ will bring thee victory, 

continually, if thy faith fail not ; greater^ as 
H5 



90 

thy faith increases; complete, when the 
good fight of faith shall be ended, and thou 
shalt rest from thy labours. All this he 
stands engaged to do, and his power is able 
to fulfil his engagements, and thy faith will 
bring thee happy experience of his power. 
When corruptions rise, temptations are 
strong, enemies numerous, dangers on every 
. side, that is the time to glorify Christ, by 
making use of his promised strength. Then 
put thy trust in the Captain of thy salvation^ 
and fear not. Look unto Jesus, and look 
at nothing but him. The battle is his. He 
will fight for thee, and thou shalt hold thy 
peace. Leave him to direct all, to do all^ 
and to finish all relating to it ; and then, as 
he can get all the glory, thou shalt see what 
a salvation he will bring thee. O that thy 
faith did but reach to the extent of his 
promises! How successful would be thy 
spiritual warfare, such victories over thine 
enemies, corruptions so subdued, the world 
so crucified, satan so defeated, as thou canst 
BOW scarce believe ? The Lord increase thy 
faith. .Look up to him for it : because as thy 



faith increases, let the battle grow hotter 
and hotter ; thou wilt find thyself safer, and 
more reason to give thanks to God through 
Jesus Christ thy Lord. 

For want of attending to the important 
truths already considered, and of bringing 
them into constant use and exercise, young 
believers are liable to fall into another c;reat 
mistake, which keeps their faith weak, and 
stops its growth ; namely, a hearkening to 
sense, and trusting to its reports ; w hich is the 
fifth general head I purpose to consider. 

They are seeking to be established, and 
they think that they should have no doubt of 
their being true believers, if they had but 
the testimony of sense, and comfortable feel- 
ings to assure them of it. And being used 
to judge in this way in other matters, for it is 
our strongest evidence in natural things, they 
are disposed to expect the same in spiritual ; 
and they are the rather disposed to it, be- 
cause sensible comforts are promised in 
Scripture : which being very desirable and 
pleasing to nature, they are apt to covet 
fhem too much, and from not regarding what 



32 
tiie Scripture says about them, they are apf 
to seek them in a wrong way, and for a wrong 
end. Sense judges from what it sees, and 
draws its inferences from what it feels : so 
that its report to the conscience, either of a 
believer's state, or of his growth in it, is not 
from unchangeable things, which w ould set- 
tle the conscience in peace ; but from change- 
able things, which leave room for continual 
doubting. Sense also looks at the fruits of 
faith, more than at the object of it ; and if 
the believer has been misled, and taught to 
confound these two together, he will be at 
great uncertainty in judging of his state : for, 
instead of making the word of God, he will 
make his comforts the ground of his faith ; 
and as these are more or less, so will his 
faith be. When he has comfortable feel- 
ings, then he will think himself a believer ; 
and when he has none, then he will think 
himself an unbeliever ; changing his judg- 
ment of himself, as his feelings do, like the 
wind ; and varying as his comforts do, like 
the weather. This is a covnmon case. I 
have seen the sad effects of it, in the lives 



93 

y>r many or my acquaintance, who, tVom be- 
ing taught thus to judge of themselves, were 
tost about for several years, up and down ; 
now comforted, then doubtmg; and could not 
get any solid establishment, till the word and 
Spirit of God convinced thenikthat sense was 
not to be the ground of their believing, nor 
the object to which they were to look. Sense 
judges by feeling, and reports what it sees. 
Sense says, now^ I am in the favour of God ; 
for I feel it. Now he is my God : for 1 find 
him so, I am comforted. Now he demon- 
strates it to me : for I feel nearness to him in 
prayer, and sweet answ-ers. Now I am sure 
my duties and services are acceptable : for I 
am quite lively in them, and I come fron;i 
them with warm affections. Now- I cannot 
doubt, for X feel the assurance of his love to 
me. And when sense has lost those comfort- 
able feelings, then it draws contrary inferen- 
ces — Now I am not in the favour of God, 
for I dont feel it — Now he is not my God, 
for I dont find him so, I am not comforted, 
&c. What can be the issue of this, but 
continual waverinsj and chanmnsr? For our 



94 

feelings are sometimes more, sometimes less, 
as every believer experiences. What an un- 
settled state, then, must he be in, who has 
no way to judge of himself, but by those 
changeable things ? What room does he leave' 
for continual doubting, and what trouble and 
misery does he thereby bring upon himself, 
as well as dishonour to the unchangeable- 
ness of God in his nature and promises ? 

If the poor weak believer should say, I f 
am convinced of this ; and I should be glad 
to have my faith so fixed, that I might be 
freed from doubts and fears. Then let it 
rest upon the word of God, w hich is the on- J 
ly ground of believing; and is, therefore, ^ 
called the word of faith, upon which faith is 
built, and by which it is nourished, and grows 
up. The believer should receive and rely 
upon what God hath spoken, and because he 
hath spoken it : for his word changeth not. 
It abideth the same for ever ; therefore, what 
it truly reports, stands upon an immoveable 
rock. Sense and feeling may report things 
contrary to it ; but the believer can silence 
them with God has spokm it : for his faith 



95 
ijas evidence of things not seen, and he doss 
not form his judgment by the things which 
are seen, but by the things Mhich are not 
seen. Generally speaking, faith judges 
the very contrary to what sense does, and 
will not believe what sense perceives. Abra- 
ham against hope, believed in hope ; so do 
all his children. They believe the pardon of 
sin— victory over sin— and the death of sin 
—the immortality of the body, though crum- 
bled to, dust and atoms— the second com- 
ing of Christ—and the eternal state of hap- 
piness or misery. Faith looks at God's word, 
calling the things which be not, as though 
they were, and is commonly forced to con- 
tradict sense. Sense judges from what it 
sees— Faith from what God says. Sense is 
governed by what appears-^Faith by what 
God says shall be. Sense looks inward- 
Faith looks outward. Faith can answer the 
seeming contradictions which sense oppose^ 
to It, from the word of God, which cannot 
be broken. And when sense is ready to 
despau', and all its fine frames and feelings 
are gone, then it is the believer's happy pri- 
vilege still to trust in the Lord, and to have 



96 

a good hope, because of the word of his 

grace. 

But, perhaps, thou art ready to say, it is 
Arritten, that there is great joy and peace in 
believing, yea, joy unspeakable and full of 
o-lory. True, these are what faith produces, 
and not what it is. These are the fruits of 
faith, which it brings forth in most abund- 
ance from the inexhaustible fuhiess of Jesus. 
The more simple the believer is, the more he 
eyes Christ the object of faith, and the 
word the ground of faith ; the more clear 
and distinct will the actings of his faith be, 
and consequently it will bring greater peace 
into the conscience, and more joy into the af- 
fections. But still these fruits are not faith : 
no more than the fruit is the tree. The 
fruits do not go before faith, but follow it and 
m-ow from it. This is God's order. He 
chives us his word to be the ground of our 
believing ; and by believing, all things pro- 
mised in the word, are made ours ; then we 
go on comfortably, and are happy ; but when 
sense is put in the place of the word, then 
the consequence is, that weak believers have 



y7 

got a changeable rule to judge of themselves 
by, which hinders them from being establish- 
ed in believing, and from attaining the pro- 
mised peace and joy. 

Some may begin to object, What ! are you 
against all lively frames, and sensible com- 
forts ? No, God forbid. I would have them 
spring from the right cause, that they might 
be more pure and fixed than they common- 
ly are. God's word and promises ^re an 
unchangeable foundation to rest upon, even 
when sensible feelings are gone ; because 
Christ revealed in the word, and laid hold 
of in the promises, changeth not. There- 
fore, reader, for thine own sake and for the 
glory of God, take heed what thou buildest 
thy faith upon. Beware of making any 
thing, that sense reports to thee, the ground 
of it; but rest it upon that which abidethfor 
ever. The word of God is a sure founda- 
tion. It will never fail thee. Thou mayest 
safely depend upon it, because it cannot be 
broken; and steadfastly rely upon Christ to 
make its promises good to thee. There's 
thy object. Look at him. And since he 



98 
is thine, thy Saviour and thy God; make 
use of him as such, and trust body and 
soul, and all things belonging to them, in his 
hands ; and among the rest, thy comforts. 
Be content he should give them to thee as 
seemeth to him good. Set not thy heart upon 
them, nor follow him, as the multitude did, 
for the sake of his loaves and fishes, and 
the dainties that he gave them ; who, when 
these were with-held, soon forsook their 
kind Benefactor. Thou art by faith to make 
up all thy happiness in him, and in him 
only ; and he himself being thine, let him 
give thee or take away what he will besides; 
thou liust enoudi. What ! is not this com- 
fort enough, that thou hast got the pearl of 
great price, the infinitely rich, inestimably 
precious Jesus, who has the wisdom of 
God to contrive what is best for thee, 
boundless love to dispose him, and almighty 
power to enable him to give it thee? And he 
has promised it ; canst thou desire more ? 
Walk then with him by faith, and not by 
sight. When the word of God is the ground 
of thy faith, which rests there, and is grown 



99 
to a fixed settlement, then thou wilt be 
cnal)led to go on comfortably, whatever thy 
frames and feelings be : yea, when these 
are at the lowest ebb, thou wilt not be 
thereby discouraged. Suppose thou art 
walking in darkness, thou canst walk by 
faith ; because thou hast a promise, ^' Who 
is among you that walketh in darkness and 
hath no light? Let him trust in the name of 
the Lord, and stay upon his God," Isa. 1. 
10. Still let him trust and believe. Why ? 
Because God is his God still. Mind that, 
his God still ; this blessed relation still sub- 
sists, and faith may draw comfort from it in 
the darkest hour. Suppose thou art in hea- 
viness through manifold temptations — the 
word says to thee, '' heaviness may endure 
for a night, but joy cometh in the moniing;" 
here thou mayest quiet thy heavy heart, and 
rest with confidence, till the Lord deliver 
thee out of thy temptations. Suppose God 
hideth his face from thee, thou hast the ex- 
ample of those in the same case, '' I will 
wait for the Lord that hideth his face from 
the house of Jacob, and will look for him," 



100 

Isa. viii. 17. Wait in faith, looking for 
him, and thou shalt see the light of his coun- 
tenance. Suppose all other comforts fail ; 
thou hast one still, worth more than all — 
" This God is my God for ever and ever. 
He will never leave me nor forsake me.'' 
This is the happiness of the true believer ; he 
is enabled to maintain his confidence, when 
sensible feelings are no more. And thou 
seest, reader, how this happiness is attained, 
and how^ it is preserved. It is by trusting 
to things which change not, the word of 
God, the Son of God, and his promises ; all 
which are in him, yea, raade in him, and in 
him, Amen; fulfilled by him. May the 
Lord help thee simply to trust his word, and 
to live upon Christ for the fulfilling of it; 
and theo thou wilt indeed get, what thou 
art now seeking in vain, a comfortable 
frame ; and wilt be enabled to maintain it 
against all the discouragements of sense. 
To that end search the scriptures, which 
are able to make thee wise unto salvation ; 
and let it be thy daily request to the Lord, 
to make thee strong in faith, that thou may- 



101 
est not stagger at his promises through un- 
belief, but mayest against hope believe in 
hope. Beg of him, when sense goes con- 
trary to the word, to enable thee still to be- 
lieve it, and not to doubt of Christ's faith- 
fuhiess to fulfil it — and ask for strength to 
walk every moment by faith and not by 
sight. Thus the Lord w^ill carry thee on 
safely and sweetly from faith to faith, till 
thou receive the end of thy faith, even the 
salvation of thy soul. May it be so. Amen. 
St. Paul has been my guide hitherto. 
He says, Heb. v. 13. that a babe in Christ 
is one w4io is unskilful in the word of ridit- 
eousness. To this determination of his, I 
have had an eye all along, and have ac- 
cordingly endeavoured to remove those hin- 
drances out of the way of young begin- 
ners, which chiefly arise from their unskil- 
fulness in the word of rig;hteousness. 
Kighteousness signifies strict justice; with 
respect to God it is paying him the full 
demands of his holy law : in this sense 
there is none of us righteous, no not 

one. The God-man Christ Jesus, the sure- 
I 2 



102 

ty of his people, came to work out sucli a 
righteousness for them, and the word re- 
veals it^ sets it before them in its infinite 
freeness, and in its infinite sufficiency to 
justify from all things. The word is also 
the means in the hand of the Spirit, of 
bringing them with the heart to believe unto 
righteousness, and therefore the scripture is 
called the word of righteousness ; and being 
unskilful in it signifies want of experience 
in the management of it, unskilful in the 
knowledge of the person of the Lord our 
righteousness, who is true and very God, 
as well as true and very man ; unskilful in 
the nature of his righteousness, that it is 
absolutely perfect and everlastingly meri- 
torious ; so that any sinner by receiving it 
will be not only delivered from sin, and all 
the miseries due to sin, but will also be 
entitled to life and glory ; unskilful in the 
gift of righteousness, how freely God be- 
stows it, nothing being required to make 
it the sinner's, but receiving it^ and there- 
fore it is called the righteousness of faith : 
l)ecause by faith he trusts in it for salva- 



]03 

tion, and for all its blessings in earth and 
heaven, and expects them as the fruits of 
righteousness — unskilful in experience, not 
knowing how to plead this righteousness 
against the charges of the law, of conscience, 
and of the accuser of the brethren ; and 
therefore apt to fall into a legal spirit, to 
be distressed in their warfare between the 
old man and the new^ ; and to covet and to 
rely more upon sensible feelings, than upon 
the sure testimony of God in his word. 
These are some of the principal difficulties, 
which young believers meet with, and they 
all arise from their unskilfulness in the word 
of righteousness ; and therefore I have par- 
ticularly considered some scripture motives 
for removing them out of the way. And 
after thou hast perused these motives, have 
they been the means of settling thy judgment, 
comforting thy conscience, and strengthen- 
ing thy faith ? Dost thou see more of Christ's 
grace and power to save thee, a sinner, than 
thou didst before, and therefore canst trust 
him better, and in time of need make more 
use of his promised grace ? If this be thy 



104 

case, give hiin the glory — and may he carry 
thee on from strength to strength. But if 
thou hast received no improvement from 
reading thus far — what is the reason ? Per- 
haps thou art under some of the temp- 
tations here described. Search and see. 
And whatever it be either in doctrine or 
experience, w^hich hinders the increase of 
thy faith, may the Lord discover it to thee, 
and enable thee to overcome it, that thou 
mayest be no longer a babe unskilful in the 
word of righteousness, but mayest grow up 
to be a young man strong in the Lord, and 
in the power of his might. 

The apostle Paul has directed me how to 
speak to the babes in Christ : and another 
apostle shows how they grow up to be young 
men, and thereby he furnishes me with mat- 
ter for the second part of this treatise on 
the life of faith, " I have written unto you 
young men," says he, '' because ye are 
strong, and the word of God abideth in you, 
and ye have overcome the wicked one," 1 
John ii. 14. These young men knew the 
principles of the doctrine of Christ; they 



105 

were established in the belief of his God- 
head, of the infinite sufficiency of his salva- 
tion, of the free mft of all its o;races and 
blessings, promised to him that worketh not, 
and received by faith only, and all treasur- 
ed up for the believer's use in the fulness of 
Christ Jesus, to whom he is to bring nothing 
to recommend him, but the promise of the 
grace which he then wants, and a depend- 
ance upon Christ to supply that want. 
These young men had attained to a good 
degree of knowledge and experience in these 
truths. They began to be able to keep the 
evidence of their union with Christ clear 
and distinct, and to improve it by their com- 
munion with him in all his offices. But, not- 
withstanding their establishment in these 
points, they had many temptations and great 
difficulties — still they knew but in part — 
still they had a fleshly corrupt nature to 
watch over and to fight against, always in- 
clining them to trust to the law, to their 
feeling, to any thing but Christ ; and always 
disposing them to yield to the suggestions 
of the devilj and to the allurements of th^ 



]()6 

world. This warfare, instead of ceasing, 
grows hotter and hotter, but they grow 
stronger. It is the peculiar character of the 
young men in Christ to he strong : they 
have learnt where their strength lays, and 
they put it forth. They go down to battle, 
not trusting in any power or might of their 
own, but strong in the Lord, and in the 
power of his might. He is their strength. 
When the enemy cometh in like a flood, then 
to Jesus they look for safety and victory — 
" O our God, we have no micjht against 
this great company that cometh against us, 
neither know we what to do, but our eyes 
are upon thee. The abiding sense of their 
own weakness keeps them dependent upon 
him, so that the more they feel of their 
helplessness, the stronger they grow: be- 
cause they live more upon Christ for 
strength, which illustrates that seeming para- 
dox of the apostle, ^* When I am weak, then 
am I strong" — when I am most sensible of 
my own weakness, then am I strongest in 
the Lord ; his strength is then perfected in 
me. And his strength is put forth in the 



107 
effectual working of it by believing. It is 
not, neither can it be, inherent in them, who 
without Christ can do nothing; but it is 
brought in by faith : nor does faith bring it in 
to lodge it, or lay it up in store, till it shall 
be wanted; but when it is wanted, faith then 
regards the promise, looks up to Christ to 
fulfil it, and receives strength out of his ful- 
ness. And being his, freely promised, and 
freely given, it is therefore called the strength 
of grace. ^' Thou, therefore, my son," says 
Paul to Timothy^ " be strong in the grace 
that is in Christ Jesus." Strong faith gets 
strong grace from Christ, according as it is 
written — " All things are possible to him 
that believeth :" for according to his faith it 
shall be done unto him. If his faith reach 
to the full extent of the promises, he shall 
find all things possible, which God hath 
promised ; yea, he shall be able to do all 
things through Christ strengthening him. 

This is the life of these young men in 
Christ. They are strong in him, living up- 
on his promised strength, and by faith re- 
ceiving it. They live not upon any thing in 



108 

themselves, but whatever they stand in need 
of, and whatever they have a promise for, 
that they expect shall be given them by the 
power of God their Saviour. They see 
themselves, poor, helpless creatures ; full of 
continual wants, and no means in their own 
power to supply them. The sense of this 
empties them of self-greatness and self-de- 
pendence, and the abiding sense of this 
keeps them humble and dependant upon 
Christ. Thus the Lord teaches them how 
to live out of themselves, and to be always 
receiving out of the Saviour's fulness grace 
for grace. They have his infinite storehouse 
to repair to, in which there is treasured up 
for them every thing that they can possibl}^ 
want. Happy for them, their God has pro- 
mised to supply all their need out of the 
riches of his grace in Christ Jesus ; and by 
faith they have an abundant supply, to the 
praise of that God, who keepeth his promise 
for ever. 

In him they live — he is the Lord and giv- 
er of spiritual life, as Paul says — '*I live, yet 
not I^ but Christ liveth in me." They are 



]09 

made strong in him, ^' The Lord is the 
strength of my life/' says the Psalmist, Ps. 
xxvii. 1. — that life which I live by the faith 
of the Son of God has all its strength from 
him — 

And is continued by his power — ^^ For 
none can keep alive his ow n soul," Ps. xxii. 
29. '^ It is God who holdeth our soul in 
life," Ps, Ixvi. 9. 

And is kept by faith — " Ye are kept by 
the power of God through faith," 1 Pet, i. 5. 
Whatever strength the believer wants to en- 
able him to bear hardship, endure the cross, 
fight his spiritual enemies, daily gain victo- 
ries over them; he expects it from God, and 
through faith he receives it, and is kept — 
yea, so kept, 

As to be confirmed unto the end. He 

that is able to keep believers from falling, 

will keep them until they receive the end of 

their faith, even the salvation of their souls. 

Thus the life, which Christ begins by his 

grace, he continues by his strength; and 

every act of this spiritual life is from hiirl. 

The will, the power is his ; for he doeth a\h 

K 



110 

«nd in all. These young men were so well 
assured of this, that they lived upon Christ 
for strength, and they received it ; they were 
strong in him. Their faith viewed him in 
his exalted state with all power in heaven 
and earth, and engaged as their covenant 
head to use it for them, to make them, and to 
keep them alive to God. On this power 
they depended. And w hatever promise they 
had of its being used in their behalf, and 
pleaded it out at the throne of grace, and 
trusted Christ with the fulfilling of it ; he 
never disappointed them. They were made 
strong, and stood fast in the Lord ; who 
never withdrew his supporting arm : there- 
fore they never ceased to put their whole 
trust and confidence in him. 

When the enemy sees them thus strong in 
the Lord through faith, it stirs up his devilish 
malice, and makes him burn with envious 
rage. He leaves no temptation untried to 
draw them from Christ. He is well skilled 
in cunning wiles and sly devices for this 
purpose. He does not begin with tempting 
them to open sin ; that w ould at once dis- 



Ill 

cover his wicked design : hut he artfully tries 
to sap the foundation, and to weaken their 
faith. If he can get them from their depen- 
dence upon Christ, he carries his point ; and 
too, too often he succeeds. Oh ! beware, 
reader, of every thing; suspect it, let its 
appearance be ever so fair and good, which in 
the least tends to weaken thy fast hold of 
Christ. Cleave to him with full purpose of 
heart, as long as ever thou livest : ior the 
enemy's whole plan is to separate thee from 
him. Formerly he tried to do this by dis- 
tressing thee about thy sins — how they could 
be pardoned — whether, being so great, so 
many, the blood of Christ could cleanse 
from all: now thou hast through believing 
received forgiveness of sins, he will try to 
do the same by distressing thee about thy 
duties. Sometimes he will try to bring guilt 
into thy conscience by suggesting to thee thy 
many failings and short comings in them — • 
the disorder of thine imagination — thy wan- 
derings in thy prayers — thy dulness in hear- 
ing and reading the word — the little life and 
power thou findest in thine attendance upon 



112 

the ordinances — and the coldness of thy 
love to God and man. If he can get thee 
to dwell upon these things so as to forget 
Christ, then he has made M'ay for this in- 
sinuation.^ — How could it be thus with thee, 
and thou a strong believer? And if he can 
get thee to reason upon it, then he has thee 
fast, thou art catched in his snare. 

But if the Lord has taught thee not to be 
ignorant of satan's devices, as soon as the 
thought arises, whether thou art in Christ, 
because of such failings, thou wilt know 
from what quarter it comes, and wilt imme- 
diately resist it. So that the temptation will 
make thee stand faster; it will drive thee 
closer to Christ; make thy dependence 
stronger on his blood and righteousness; put 
thee upon making more use of him as thy in- 
tercessor and advocate with the Father, and 
help thee to live more out of thyself, by 
faith upon him. Thus Christ becomes pre- 
cious ; thou art more humble. The snare i^ 
broken, and thou art delivered. 

When the enemy sees this, his implacable 
malice will soon tempt thee again. He has 



113 

another deep-laid stratagem relating to thy 
duties^ and that is from their being unsuc- 
cessful. Thou hast had something laid much 
upon thy heart; and thou hast carried it to 
God in prayer, and thou hast waited long^ 
but no answer comes. Upon this satan takes 
occasion to suggest — Now you see God 
does not give you what you ask^ although he 
has promised, Ask and ye shall have ; the 
fault cannot be in him; therefore it is plain 
you are not in his favour ; his promises do 
not belong to you. And if he can thus work 
a little upon thy impatience, he will soon get 
thee into doubting and unbelief Here thou 
mayest see how all the wiles of satan tend to 
one point; namely, to separate thee from 
Christ ; and how necessary then is it, that 
thou shouldest have this settled beyond all 
question, that Christ and thou art one. If 
this be maintained in thy conscience, then 
Satan's stratagem is defeated : for Christ be- 
ing thine, he will give thee every thing that 
he has promised ; and although thou hast it 
not just at the time thou hast fixed thyself, 

yet he knows best. Thou shalt certainly 
K 2 



114 

have it, if his infinite wisdom sees it good 
for thee ; and if he does not see it good, his 
love will give thee something better. Thy 
faith must wait God's time. Strong faith can 
wait long. Having such a promise as this to 
depend upon — " They shall not be asham- 
ed, who wait for me;" Isa. xlix. 23. — thou 
mayest with confidence wait, and be a fol- 
lower of them who, through faith and pa- 
tience, inherit the promises ; who by faith re- 
garded the promises, by patience waited for 
the fulfilling of them ; and although they 
waited long, yet they succeeded at last, and 
did inherit every grace and blessing, for 
which, with faith and patience, they had been 
waiting. Go, and do thou likewise. 

Upon the failing of these temptations, the 
enemy has another ready. Since he cannot 
get thee off thy guard by bringing thee into 
doubting and unbelief, he will attack thy 
faith in another way. He will come like an 
angel of light, and seem to be Christ's friend 
and thine. He will allow thee to be a child 
of God, and to be strong in faith. The 
more clearly thou art satisfied of thy union 



115 

with Christ, the more will he improve, it 
thou art not aware, this thy certainty to his 
own wicked purposes. He will try to keep 
thine eye upon thy great graces and high 
gifts ; he will flatter thee exceedingly upon 
them, and will tempt thee to view them with 
a secret delight, every now and then insinu- 
ating, what a great Christian thou art — how 
few there are like thee — to what an exalted 
state thou hast attained — what temptations 
thou hast overcome — what victories thou hast 
gained over sat an — and how safe thou art 
now, fast upon the rock ! And if he finds 
this pleasing bait is not instantly rejected 
with a Get thee behind me, satan ; then he 
will begin to work upon thy self-love, and to 
give thee many plausible reasons for self-ad- 
miration; so that thou shalt lirst look plea^ 
singly at, then fondly love, and at last sacri 
legiously dote upon thy wondrous attain- 
ments! Thus he will lift thee up with pride, 
and will try to draw thee into his own crime, 
and into his own condemnation. What a 
dangerous temptation is this ! How many 
have I know n who fell into it ! If thou say- 



116 

est, by vvhat means shall I escape it? Mind 
tlie first approach : for it is coming upon 
thee, as soon as thou beginnest to think of 
thyself more highly than thou oughtest to 
think. Thou art in thyself a poor, miserable, 
helpless sinner; and, to this very moment, 
without Christ, thou canst do nothing. Thou 
canst not do one good thing, nor overcome 
the weakest enemy, nor take one step in the 
way to heaven, without Christ : nay, thou 
canst not think one good thought without 
him. What hast thou then to be proud of, 
and to stir up thy self-admiration? Nothing 
but sin. The humble abiding sense of this 
tends to thy safety: for while this is ever 
present with thee — " In me, that is, in my 
flesh, dwelleth no good thing ;" it will lead 
thee to live by faith upon Christ, for all good 
things. And being all his, and received 
every moment from him as his free gift, thou 
wilt be glorifying and exalting him in all and 
for all, knowing that he resisteth the proud;, 
but he giveth grace unto the humble. The 
Lord keep thee humble, and then thou wilt 



117 

have grace to escape this cunning wile of the 
devil. 

If thou shalt say, alas! lam fallen into 
it; how shall I recover myself? Remem- 
ber his case who, in his prosperity, said he 
never should be moved, the favour of the 
Lord had made his mountain to stand so 
strong, Ps. XXX. 6, 7. He was too confi- 
dent in himself, and was moved. How did 
he recover his standing ? '^ I cried unto the 
Lord, and unto the Lord I made my sup- 
plication. Hear, O Lord, and have mercy 
upon me; Lord, be thou my helper." His 
prayer was heard, he found mercy to par- 
don his offence, and help to raise him up, 
and his mourning, he says, was turned into 
joy and gladness. Look up as he did to 
the Lord Christ. Plead thy pardon through 
his promised mercy, and beg of him to 
enable thee to walk more humbly with thy 
God. Then shall the Psalmist's experience 
be thine, and thou shalt escape the snare, 
which was laid for thy precious life. 

These young men having thus overcome 
the devices, which, satan had contrived to 



118 

weaken their faith, must expect a fresh 
attack from him. He will tempt them con- 
cerning the ground of faith. He sees they ! 
are strong, because the word of God abi- 
deth in them ; therefore he will use all his 
cunning and power to weaken their trust 
in the word and promises of God. By 
the incorruptible seed of the word, faith is 
begotten ; and by the same word it is nour- 
ished up, and strengthened ; growing ex- 
ceedingly from faith to faith. The word, 
which is the sole ground of faith, reveals 
the covenant made by the eternal Trinity 
for the salvation of sinners, and makes 
many free promises of every covenant bles- 
sing to him that believeth. These pro- 
mises may most steadfastly be relied upon : 
because of the unchangeable nature of God, 
who makes them. All his perfections are 
engaged for the fulfilling of his word ; so 
that what he has spoken has an actual being 
and existence. He says, and it is done — 
saying and doing are the same with him. 
Let there be ever so great a distance of 
time between the w^ord spoken and the 



119 
thing done, yet this is as real as any thing 
now in beina : because it exists in the mind 
und will of God, is revealed in his word, 
and by his faithfulness and almighty power 
is to be established at the time appoint- 
ed. How is it possible, then, that this 
word should be broken ? There is no mat- 
ter of fact of more undoubted evidence, 
nothing in futurity, not even the rising 
of the sun to morrow, so fixed and cer- 
tain, as the accomplishment of God's pro- 
mises to him that believeth. These young 
men in Christ were most assuredly per- 
suaded of this truth. They knew that 
heaven and earth should pass away before 
one tittle of God's promises should fail. 
They looked upon them all as made in 
Christ, in him Yea, and in him Amen, made 
in him, and fulfilled to him, as the head of 
the body the Church, and in him fulfilled 
to all his members. As certainly as every 
one of them has been made good to him 
the head, so will they be made good to his 
* members. He has all power in heaven and 
« arth committed to him, for that very pur- 



1^20 

pose. Whoever by believing is joined to 
him, he has thereby a right and a title to 
every promise, and may boldly sue it out 
in time of need : and then it is Christ's 
office and glory to fulfil the promise. 

If mountains of difficulties stand in the 
way, the believer need not fear or doubt. 
Christ is upon the throne. What are difficul- 
ties against his almighty power? besides, 
Christ has already given him good security. 
He has put into his hands the pledges and 
earnests of the promised inheritance, and 
how is it possible he should fail in fulfilling 
his engagements, and putting him in due 
time into actual possession ? Head what the 
apostle says of this subject. Turn to the 
passage : for it is too long to quote, Heh. vi. 
from verse 1 1 to the end of the chapter ; in 
which you may observe these particulars: 

1. The heirs of promise are apt to be 
full of doubt, and to have strife in their con- 
sciences about their right and title to all the 
graces and blessings of salvation : 

2. God was willing out of his infinite 
mercy to establish their right and title to 



them beyond dispute^ and to put an efTd to 
all strife : 

3. Therefore he engaged by promise to 
give them all those graces and blessings : 
and, 

4. To show the unchangeableness of his 
will herein, he confirmed the promise by an 

oath. 

5. It is impossible that God should lie 

in his promise, or that he should be perjur- 
ed in his oath. 

6. Therefore, here are two immutable 
things to strengthen the faith and hopes of 
the heirs of promise. 

7. While their faith rests upon those im- 
mutable things, it will always bring them 
strong consolation. 

8. When enemies, dangers, and tempta* 
tions attack them, they are safe by fleeing for 
refuge, to lay hold of the hope set before 
them in God's immutable promises. 

^. This hope will be as useful to them at 

such times, as an anchor to a ship. By it 

'•they will ride out all the storms of lite, until 

Jesus, their forerunner, bring them within. 

L 



122 

the veil, where their anchor is now ca^t; and 
put them into eternal possession of all the 
promises. 

With what rich and copious matter does 
this scripture abound, tending to show the 
absolute safety of resting upon God's pro- 
mises ! How strong are the arguments to 
persuade the heirs of promise, to put their 
whole trust and confidence in the faithfulness 
of their God ! who, having provided an infi- 
nitely glorious and everlasting inheritance for 
them, was w illing to make it over to them in 
the strongest manner of conveyance ; and, 
therefore, he has given them the promise and 
the oath of God, which cannot possibly 
change or alter, that their faith might never 
doubt or waver, and their hope might at all 
times be sure and steadfast. And until he 
bring them to the inheritance itself, he has 
given them many sweet and blessed promises 
of all things needful for their temporal and 
spiritual estate, upon which he would have 
them not only to live comfortably at present, 
but also to receive them as part of the inhe- 
ritance allo\^ed them for their maintenance, 



1^25 
till they come to age, and enter upon the 
possession of the whole. And what God in- 
tended in his promise and oath, has its ef- 
fects in a good degree among those who have 
the word of God abiding in them. They 
cast their anchor where he commands them, 
and they are not only safe, but also in time 
of the greatest troubles and temptations, have 
strong consolation. When enemies come, 
corruptions arise, and difficulties are in the 
way ; they have a promise, and a promise- 
keeping God to depend upon. Whatever 
straights they are in, the word abiding in 
them brings some promise of support and 
deliverance : the promise shows what God 
has engaged to do, and faith receives the ful- 
filling of his engagements. When they draw 
nigh to God in duties in ordinances, they 
knovy what he has promised to them that 
wait upon him, and they judge him faithful 
who hath promised ; and lo, he is present 
w ith them. In short, w^hile they live like 
themselves, as the heirs of promise, they are 
preserved from all evil, and want no manner 
of thing that is good. Ihis is their happy 



124 

case, thrice happy, because the means used 
to deprive them of their happiness, are over- 
ruled of God for the establishing it. The 
enemy rages against them, but in vain. He 
was a liar from the beginning. The word is 
truth, and he abode not in it ; tlierefore, he 
hates it, and with a greater hatred, because 
the Lord has made it the means of strength- 
ening those believers. He knows that all 
his temptations will be fruitless, while the 
word abideth in them. He fears no wea^ 
pon formed against him, like the sword of 
the Spirit : he has felt its sharpness and 
its power ; with it the captain of our salva- 
tion cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon ; 
and with it all his good soldiers resist the de- 
vil, mid make him flee from them. For these 
reasons he has great variety of temptations 
to weaken the believer's trust in the word, 
and his reliance upon the promises of God. 
Sometimes he attacks them in a matter 
where his hopes are founded in their igno- 
rance : he is cunning to spy out the particu- 
lar way in which they have been led, and 
their readiness to maintain their ground, by 



125 

making use of the promises suited to that 
way. lie resolves, therefore, upon some new 
temptation, with which they have never been 
exercised ; and he \^ atches the favourable 
opportunity to inject it with ail his strength. 
Upon his doing it, the soul is put into a great 
hurry, because it has no promise ready to 
appl}^ to the present case : for want of which, 
the understanding is confused — faitii wavers 
— doubt enters — and satan carries his point. 
This demonstrates the necessity of searching 
the scriptures, and meditating upon them 
night and day. In them God has graciously 
treasured up all sorts of promises. There 
is not a possible case tor a believer to be in, 
of spiritual or temporal concern ; but there 
is a promise suitable to it, which he ought to 
:ave ready against the hour of temptation. 
If he has not, he neglects tlie Lord's kind 
provision, and lays himself open to the ene- 
my's attack. Reader, if thou wouldest not 
be ignorant of satan's devices, follow Christ s 
counsel — Search the Scriptures. Kemember, 
they are able to make thee wise unto salva- 
tion, throueh faith in Christ Jesus : there- 
L 2 



126 

fore, store up his promises — ^pray him to 
sanctify thy memory to retain tliem — and to 
enable thee to make use of them.-4n every time 
of need. 

If this temptation fail, the enemy will soon 
have another ready. 1 have known him 
often try, and often succeed in endeavouring 
to take off the attention from the most easy 
parts of scripture, and to fix it upon those 
parts which are hard to be understood. Up- 
on those the believer dwelk too much, and 
puzzles himself. His head grows confused. 
He consults commentators, and they confuse 
him more. And if he does not fall from 
hence into questioning the truth of scripture, 
yet he certainly neglects the right use of it, 
forgetting it is the means of building him- 
self up in his most holy faith. Reader, 
whenever thou art tempted about difficult 
texts, look up to the incarnate Word, and 
pray him by his Spirit to open thine under- 
standing, that thou mayest know what thou 
readest ; and if thou still dost not find the 
meaning of them made plain to thee, pass 
them by for that time. Don'c puzzle and 
distress thyself about them. Perhaps when 



1^27 
thou meetest with them again, they will ap- 
pear easy, and Christ will give thee light to 
see and to comprehend them. 

If thou sayest, I do look up to him to 
teach me, but nevertheless, I find many hard 
and difficult texts : remember thou knovv- 
est but in part, and therefore thou standest 
in need of daily teaching;. These texts are 
profitable, if they huml)le thee, and make 
thee live more upon the teaching of the di- 
vine Prophet. The humbler thou art, thou 
wilt be the more teachable. The lower thou 
sittest at his feet to hear his words, thou 
wilt learn the most. The Master himself 
has declared, " Whosoever shall humble 
himself as a little child, the same is the 
greatest in the kingdom of heaven." If these 
difficult texts thus humble thee, and make 
thee live mpre upon Christ's inward teach- 
ing, they w in be the means of thy grow th in 
saving knowledge. Thy hearing and read- 
ing the word in a constant dependence upon 
him, will keep thee from the dangerous er- 
rors and heresies of the times. Most of 
those arise from unlearned and unstable 



128 

men, full of pride and self-conceit, whom 
God resisteth ; but he giveth grace to the 
humble. 

If he has given thee grace to hold fast 
the form of sound words, which thou ha^t 
learned and been assured of, the enemy will 
change his attack, and pursue thee with new 
temptations. Envious of thy happiness, he 
will be often assaultino; thee, and trying to " 
move thee from thy steadfastness. He will 
at times insinuate every lie that he can 
raise against the word of God ; and he will 
not begin with reason or argument, but by 
way of surprise, with sudden injections, 
darting into the mind doubts, like these — 
How do I know the scripture is inspired ? 
What proof have I ? And if these be riot 
immediately rejected, he will follow^ them 
like lightning with others : How can that be 
inspired which is full of contradictions, and 
full of doctrines above reason ? Who can 
detend the matters of fact related in it ? 
The language is low and mean, unworthy of 
God — the scripture is false— perhaps there 
is neither God nor devil. 



129 
These blasphemous thoughts sometimes 
put the believer into a hurry and confusion, 
and through the suddenness and violence of 
them, greatly distress him. The apostle 
calls these assaults " the fiery darts of the 
wicked one," — darts, because he throws 
them V ith all his might against the soul, — - 
and fiery, because he would have them to 
catch hold of, and to inflame its corruptions 
and lusts. And they do, if the shield of 
faith be not ready to stop their force, and 
to quench their fire. This is a piece of the 
armour of God prepared for the believer's 
safety at such times, and the right use of it 
is this : The Lord having promised to be a 
shield to them that put their trust in him, 
and to compass them about with his favour 
as with a shield, the believer looks up when 
these fiery darts are flying thick about him, 
and says — '' O Lord God of Hosts, who 
hast promised that thy faithfulness and truth 
should be my shield and buckler, now esta- 
blish thy word unto thy servant. In thee, 
O my God, do I put my trust ; save me in 
this hour of temptation." Then the battle 



130 

becomes ttie Lord's. He is engaged to put 
forth his strength to shield thee from the 
enemy. Thus thou shalt conquer, and 
shalt happily experience what is written—^ 
^' Resist the devil, and he will flee from 
you." 

, He will flee for a season, but will return 
again. He has other temptations, and he 
will try them all to disparage the word of 
God, and to lessen the believer's confidence 
in it. Sometimes he will insinuate — how 
can these things be — in what way or by 
what means can such a promise be fulfilled? 
If you begin to reason upon the point, he 
will get you from your strong- hold and con- 
quer you. Beware of his lies, and have 
always your answer ready — ^' It is written." 
What God hath said put your trust in, if all 
the world gainsay it ; for he is faithful who 
hath promised, and all things are possible 
with him. 

If this temptation does not succeed, and 
he cannot bring you to doubt of the truth of 
the promises, then he will try you about 
your right to them. When vou are in dark- 



131 

iies3 or walking heavily, in sickness or any 
trouble, and you have been praying for 
deliverance, but Christ does not presently 
answer you; then he has a favourable 
opportunity to suggest — Now you see the 
promises do^nof belong to you; Christ will 
not hear you, and th€refore you have been 
deceiving yourself with a vain notion of faith. 
This is a common temptation, against which 
still oppose — '' Ins writtiin.'' Thy case, be it 
what it will, has a promise, either of support 
or deliverance. If thou art not delivered, 
yet if Christ support thee, so that thy faith 
and patience fail not, does not this show his 
infinite goodness to thee? He will have thy 
faith tried, and he will put it into the fire, 
not to consume it, but that it may come like 
gold out of the furnace, purer and brighter. 
And what if thou art in the fire a OTeat 
while, thou wilt see more of his tender mer- 
cies in keeping thee there, and wilt thereby 
learn to live in a more simple dependence 
upon him. Cast not away therefore thy 
confidence in the written word. The pro- 
mises in it stand faster than the strong 



15^ 

mountains. If all the powers in earth and 
hell should join, they cannot defeat one 
single tittle of them. When the world and 
all the works therein shall be bm^nt up, and 
the place of them shall be no more found, 
then the promises shall stand fast as the 
throne of Ciod, and shall receive their full 
and perfect accomplishment through the 
ages of eternity. 

These are some of satan's temptations 
against the young men in Christ, who are 
strong, because the word of God abideth in 
them. His design is to weaken their reliance 
upon its promises. Till he can do this, he 
despairs of success ; and therefore he tries 
every method, which his wicked cunning and 
rage can invent. His busy active spirit is 
night and day plotting against the word of 
God. See a lively picture of his utter hatred 
to it in the parable of the sower. While the 
good seed is sowing, the devil is indefatiga- 
ble in picking it up. He exercises all his 
wiles to keep it out of the hearer's hearts, 
and he prevails with the greater part to re- 
ject it. Among those who seemingly re- 



133 

ceive it, he cheats three out of four, so that 
the word does not take root, nor bear fruit 
to perfection. Since satan is thus success- 
ful, is it not absolutely necessary, reader, 
that thou shouldest be well acquainted with 
his devices ? And the word abiding in thee, 
the ingrafted word, will both make thee 
acquainted with them, and also strong to 
resist them : because then thou wilt be 
taught by Christ's wisdom and strengthened 
by his almighty power. As thou growest 
in the sense of thy want of him, and livest 
in a closer dependence upon him, thou wilt 
understand more of his word, and experi- 
ence more of his power. By which means 
the enemy's continual attacks, driving thee 
to Christ for the fulfilling of his promises, 
will make thee continually safe. Let the 
roaring lion rage, what hast thou to fear ? 
Let him go about seeking whom he may 
devour, the Lord is thy shield and thy de- 
fence : in him is thy trust. Thou hast his 
promise, that he will preserve thee from all 
evil, and will make all things, even satan's 

spite and rage against thee, work together 

M 



1 34 

for thy good. How .tear and precious Iheii 
should the word of God be to thee, if 
thou art weak ! because it is the means of 
thy growing, and being nourished up : and 
if thou art strong, because by its abiding 
in ihee, thou wilt be established. May it 
be thy study and thy delight, and may 
every reading of it bring thee to a better 
acquaintance with, and a greater depen- 
dence upon, the adorable Jesus. And if 
thou desirest thus to profit from the scrip- 
tures, 1 would advise thee, reader, to ob- 
serve two things, w hich w ill be much for 
Christ's glory, and for thy edification. 

First, in thy frequent and careful perusal 
of the bible, (and mind, thou canst not read 
it too much,) take particular notice of the 
promises, which are most suited to thy age, 
state, and condition in life: because these 
God has graciously made for thy use, and 
about these the enemy will be most busy 
with thee. Treasure them up then in thy j 
memory, and have them ready against the 
time of need ; looking up, 

Secondly, to Christ for the fulfilling of 



135 

them. All the promises are made in liiaij 
and made good by him : thou art therefore 
in an humble dependance upon his faithful- 
ness and power, to expect whatever thou 
wantest^ and he has promised. Trust him, 
and he will not fail thee. Stagger not at 
any of his promises, through the seeming 
impossibility of their being made good; but 
depend upon his almighty power, and thou 
wilt find him a faithful promise-keeping 
God, whose word standeth fast for ever and 
ever. 

Thus thou shalt not only be safe, but 
shalt also overcome the wicked one, which 
the apostle John makes the last part of 
their character who are strong in the Lord. 
They overcome him by the strength of their 
faith. They hold fast their confidence in 
the Lord's promised strength, and he fights 
for them. That mighty arm which bruised 
the serpent's head, brings them victory, as it 
is written of that noble army mentioned, 
Rev, xii. 11. '' They overcame the accuser 
of the brethren by the blood of the Lamb, 
and by the word of their testimony." — 



136 
Through faith in his blood, they were par- 
doned and justified freely, and they knew 
that in him they had righteousness and 
strength ; therefore they were at peace with 
God, and the accuser of the brethren could 
not lay any thing to their charge. Thus 
they were delivered from his power, and 
translated into the kingdom of God's dear 
Son ; and they testified this by adhering to 
the word of truth. They believed that 
whatever Christ had therein promised, he 
would fulfil to them ; and they bore their 
testimony to their being safe in depending 
upon his word, in the most trying circum- 
Jitances, They would not give it up, what- 
ever they lost for trusting to it : nay, they 
stuck steadfastly to its truth, although it 
cost them their lives for maintaining their 
testimony : for it is said of them, ^^ they 
loved not their lives unto the death ;" that 
is, they loved the truth more than life; they 
were not afraid publicly to own, that their 
trust and confidence was in the blood of the 
Lamb ; and they believed they should be 
infiaite and everlasting gainers by holding 



137 

fast the word of their testimony unto death. 
And the Lord was with them, and mightily 
strengthened them, so that they joyfully 
sealed their testimony with their blood ; al- 
though they died in flames, and in the most 
exquisite torments. Thus they overcame 
satan. A most noble company of those 
conquerors are now standing round the 
throne of the Lamb^ enjoying his exceeding 
great and precious promises : he has crowned 
them with glory — he has clothed them w ith 
robes, w^ashed and made white ia his own 
blood — he has wiped away all tears from 
their eyes, and taken all cause of sorrow 
from their hearts — he has put palms into 
their hands, to show that they are eternal 
conquerors, and that they shall stand con- 
firmed in bliss for ever and ever. May 
thou and I, reader, e'er long, join them; 
and until that happy time come, may our 
faith be daily more established in the blood 
and righteousness of the Lamb of God, that 
we may be growing in our love to him, and 
in our dependence upon him, until he admit 
us to see him as he is. 
M 2 



138 

Through much exercise and fighting, these 
young nien, strong and mighty in the Scrip- 
tures, grow up to be fathers in Christ ; whose 
character is thus drawn by the apostle Johrij 
1 Epis,\\. 14. " I have written unto you, 
fathers, because ye have known him that is 
from the beginning ;" namely, Jesus Christ, 
whose style and title it is to be from the be- 
ginning, as he himself speaks in Prov. viii. 
22, 23. — '^ The Lord possessed me in the 
beginning of his way, before his works of 
old. I was set up from everlasting, from 
the beginning, or ever the earth was." He 
was a person in the Godhead, co-equal and 
CO- eternal with the Father; but was set up 
in his office-character from everlasting, to be 
the beginning of the ways and works of God. 
Upon account of what he was to do and suf- 
fer in man's nature according to the grace of 
the covenant of the ever-blessed Trinity, he 
was the Creator, and is the Preserver of the 
universe : for by him were all things creat- 
ed, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, 
visible and invisible ; and by him all things 
subsist; and be is the beginning, the first 



139 
cause of all things in nature, and also in grace 
— the head of the body the church. In the 
same manner our Lord speaks af himself, 
Rev i. 1. '^ I am Alpha and Omega, the 
beginning and tlie ending, saith the Lord, 
v'hich is, and which was, and which is to 
come, the Almighty." He is in and from the 
beginning, being the first cause of all the di- 
vine works in creation, in providence, and in 
redemption ; the Author and the Finisher^ 
the first and the last in all ; w hich shows the 
great propriety of describing him here by 
this name. The apostle is treating of the 
highest state of a believer, and he says it 
consists in knowing that Jesus Christ is all 
and in all. Whatever good there is in his 
kingdom of nature, from him it had its be- 
ginning, and by him it is preserved : what- 
ever good there is in his kingdom of grace^ 
he is the author of it ; by his power it is 
continued ; and when brought to perfection, 
he is the finisher. He is the beginning, he is 
the ending of all the counsels, and of all the 
works of God. In this light these Fathers 
had learned to consider the Lord Jesus : thev 



140 

knew that he was to do all for them, and in 
them, and by them ; they not only knew it 
speculatively, but had also experimental 
knowledge of it. " Ye have known him 
that is from the beginning ;" have known 
him, and tried him, and found him to be 
what his name signifies. And this is the 
right knowledge of Christ — not such as the 
devil has ; he could say, I know thee who thou 
art, the Holy one of God — not such as too 
many nominal Christians have, who profess 
that they know God, but in works they deny 
him — not such as many professors attain, for 
whom it had been better not to have known 
the way of righteousness, than after they had 
known it, to turn from it. These fathers knew 
Christ by the inward teaching of his word and 
spirit, whereby he made himself known to 
them, as he does not to others. For he fulfilled 
to them the great promise of the new covenant 
— '^ I will give them a heart to know me, 
that I am the Lord, and they shall be my 
people, and I will be their God," Jcr. xxiv. 
7. The covenant is well ordered in all things 
and sure ; particularly with respect t6 the 



141 

i|uickening of the soul from a death in tres- 
passes and sins, and to the renewing of its 
faculties, that they may be capable of know- 
ing God ; and to the enlightening them, that 
the lij^ht of the glorious gospel of Christ 
may shine unto them, even unto the heart, 
enlivening it with holy and heavenly affec- 
tion to the person, to the offices, and to the 
glories of the blessed Immanuel. Whereby 
the believer, thus taught of God to know 
him aright, can now trust him, hope in him, 
and love him ; which graces are strengthen- 
ed from the consideration of God's standing 
related to him as his covenant God, and of 
his being one of God's redeemed people : from 
which relations he has a right to, and by faith 
may enjoy every covenant mercy in time, and 
shall be a partaker of them all in eternity, 
• — This is the knowledge, concerning which 
so many and such great things are spoken 
in scripture, and which St. John says these 
fathers had received : they had attained by 
the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation to that 
knowledge of Christ, which is life eternal j 
and- the same Spirit enabled them to be 



142 

continually growing and increasing in the 
knowledge of Christ. As he shines more 
clearly into their hearts, he discovers to 
them more of their w ants. He makes them 
better acquainted with themselves, and lets 
them feel more of the workings of their 
corrupt nature, and of their own entire help- 
lessness. Thus by his light they see deeper 
into that mystery of iniquity, which is in 
them, and they grow^ in the sense and ex- 
perience of it all their lives. Day by day 
some failing, short coming, infirmity or 
temptation, leads them to more lowly and 
humbling view^s of themselves, and brings 
them fresh discoveries of their fallen and 
helpless state. While they attend to what 
is passing in their own breasts, every mo- 
ment something will be speaking for Christ 
— '' Without me ye can, do nothing." It 
is this abiding sense of their wants, and 
faith in his promises to supply them, which 
lead them to be constantly looking unto 
Jesus. Many wants do not discourage 
them ; for his promises are as many as 
their wants can be — nor great wants, for 



143 

he has given them exceeding great pro- 
mises — nor continual wants, for he has pro- 
mised them grace every moment. As they 
grow in the knowledge of themselves, they 
see more need of living upon Christ in the 
several offices which he sustains. The daily 
experience which they have of their own 
ignorance, and sinfulness, and helplessness, 
endear to them their divine Prophet, Priest, 
and King. The continual sense of their 
want of him makes them glad to live in a 
settled fixed dependence upon his fulness, 
and to be alw ays receiving out of it. They 
would not live otherwise if they could. 
They know that their dear Saviour will 
manage better for them than thev could for 
themselves. He has taken their affairs, spi- 
ritual and temporal, into his hands, and he 
can make no mistakes. His infinite love is 
guided by unerring wisdom, and its bles- 
sings are bestowed by almighty power. — 
Happy for them, they and theirs are under 
the care of this best of friends. They know 
it, and are sensible of their happiness. 
Daily experience, brings them fresh proofs 



144 

of the love and power of Jesus; which 
makes them wish for more, still more faith, 
that they may glorify their blessed Saviour 
by trusting him more. How^ever, in this 
they are growing, increasing day by day in 
their knowledge of the salvation, and gain- 
ing a closer acquaintance and fellowship 
with the person of God their Saviour, until 
they come to see him as he is. 

This is the character of those believers who 
are steadfast in the faith, and are become 
fathers, able now^ to teach others also. They 
have attained to that knowledge of Christ, 
which is life eternal, and they are daily pres- 
sing forward. What they already know of 
him, increases their desire to know more. 
And by being always conversant with him, 
(for without him they can do nothing,) they 
have continual opportunities of making new 
discoveries. In him are laid up treasures of 
every thing that is great and good. His 
riches are unsearchable, infinite, and eternal. 
There is no coming to the end of them. 
Believers are persuaded of it, and therefore 
they try to dig deep into this golden mine. 



145 

It is all theirs. The further they go, the 
more is their faith strengthened, and the 
more precious Christ becomes ; for they find 
such an excellency in the knowledge of 
Christ Jesus their Lord, that their souls 
hunger and thrist to know more of him. 
The more they attain, the more the appetite 
increases, and nothing can perfectly satisfy 
it, but the full enjoyment of Christ in glory, 
when they shall know, even as also they are 
known. Till that blessed time come, they 
will be growing in grace, and in the know- 
ledge of God their Saviour. 

This is the distinguishing mark of these 
fathers — they are pressing forward. The}/ 
have not yet attained to the perfect know- 
ledge of Christ, but they are going on to 
perfection: and they make an happy pro- 
gress. God meets them in and blesses the 
means, which he has appointed for their daily 
growth. In those he requires them to depend 
and to wait upon him; and he gives them 
clearer discoveries of the adorable person, 
and of the gracious offices of the Lord Christ, 

and thereby enables them to live more bv 

N 



146 
faith upon him, for all things belonging to 
their temporal, their spiritual, and their eter- 
nal concerns. These particulars will include 
the principal acts of the life of faith; and 
while we take a short view of them, may 
every page, reader, be made the means of 
increasing and strengthening thy faith in the 
Lord Jesus. 

First, they grow in the knowledge of his 
person, v/hich is altogether m onderful ; so 
that thev can never come to the end of his 
perfections, nor to eternity can they show^ 
forth all his praise ; for he is God and man 
in one Christ — Jehovah, incarnate — Imma- 
nuel, God with us. This is the great mys- 
tery of Godliness, God manifest in the 
flesh ; in which he came amongst us, that 
he might be the second Adam, who is the 
Lord from heaven ; thai as the first Adam 
by sin had ruined all those who are born of 
him after the flesh, so the second Adam 
midit save all those who are born of him 
after the Spirit. And for this end he has 
all power in heaven and earth committed 
to him : he has all fulness, yea, the fulness 
of the Godhead, dwelling in him ; that he 



147 
might be the head of tlie bod}^ the church; 
and that out of his fuhiess his members 
might be receiving grace in time, and glory 
in eternity. Of this divine Person all the 
prophets have spoken since the world be- 
gan ; and what they have spoken in many 
words, the apostle sums up in a short de- 
scription, Col. i. 15, &;c, where he is treat- 
ing of that Person in the Godhead, who co- 
venanted to come into the world to save 
sinners; '' who is the image of the invisible 
God, the first-born of every creature: for, by 
him were all things created that are in heaven 
and that are in earth, visible and invisible, 
whether they be thrones or dominions, or 
principalities, or powers ; all things were 
created by him and for him ; and he is before 
all things, and by him all things consist. 
And he is the Head of the body, the 
church, who is the beginning, the first-born 
from the dead, that in all things he might 
have the pre-eminence ; for it pleased the 
Father that in him should all fulness dwell." 
In which words these three glorious truths 
are declared of Christ Jesus ; first, that he 



148 

created all things visible and invisible ; se- 
condly, that he upholds them all by the 
word of his power; thirdly, that he has re- 
deemed unto himself a peculiar people 
through his own blood, who are his church ; 
and he is to them what the head is to the 
body, the head of authority, the^rst in rank 
and dignity, and the head of influence; from 
whom life, and motion, and sense, are com- 
municated to all his members : for in him 
they live, and move, and have their being. 
In all things he is first, or has the pre-emi« 
nence ; he is Jehovah, the Creator and the 
Preserver of all things — Jehovah incarnate, 
the Head of his church, and the Saviour of 
the body. This is the blessed Object of 
faith : and what can there be conceived 
beautiful, useful, or happy; what excellency 
is there, or perfection, which is not in its 
highest degree in this most adorable God- 
man? What can a believer want, what can 
his heart desire, w hich is not here treasured 
up for his use? Here is a Surety perfectly 
qualified, as man to act and suffer for man, 
as God to merit infinitely and eternally by 



149 

what he did and suffered ; and, as God- 
man, he has now all fulness of wisdom, and 
righteousness, and holiness, and strength, 
and every thing needful for his people's 
happiness. Whither then should they go, 
but to him, for every grace and blessing ? 
And to him they do repair, according to the 
command — '^ Look unto me and be ye sav- 
ed, all the ends of the earth," Iscl xlv. 22. 
The promise to them^ who are looking unto 
him, is very extensive — '' ]My God shall 
supply all your need according to his riches 
in glory by Christ Jesus," FhiL iv. l^. By 
him they expect a continual supply of all 
their temporal and spiritual needs; and there- 
fore on him they would have their eyes ever 
fixed, looking unto Jesus. While by faith 
their eyes are kept steady upon him, they 
will be discovering something new in this 
wonderful God-man, and receiving some- 
thing; out of his fulness, to streno;then their 
hopes, and to inflame their affections. He 
will grow more lovely in their sight; fresh 
beauties will discover themselves ; new 

worlds of delight will appear: for all the 

N 3 



150 

glories of heaven and earth shine in their 
fullest lustre in his person. The believer 
sees them at present : for by faith he can 
see him that is invisible ; and although he has 
not such a perfect vision, as they have who, 
standing round his throne, see him face to 
face ; yet he hopes to enjoy it soon : and he 
has even now this peculiar pleasure in view- 
ing the glories of his God and Saviour, that 
he can truly say of him — '^ This is my Be- 
loved, and my Friend ;" here I fix, and on 
him I rest ; I want to look no where else 
for any good, since it all meets and centers 
in one object : for it hath pleased the Fa- 
ther and the eternal Spirit, that all fulness 
should dwell in the Son of God, and he is 
my beloved Saviour, and my dearest Friend ; 
he is the Chief among ten thousand in my 
affection, yea, he is altogether lovely. The 
more I live by faith upon him, the more I 
love him : for I experience such tender com- 
passion in his heart, and such a kind con- 
cern for me and my interest, that the love 
of Christ constrains me to love him again. 
He endears his person to me by continual 



151 

favours. 1 do love him, but not so inucli 
as he deserves. I would increase, and 
abound more and more in love to him, as 
his mercies increase and abound to me; but 
a grateful sense of them, and love to him for 
them, are his own gifts, for which, as well as 
for his mercies, I must be content to be in- 
debted to hhn for ever and ever. Lord, 
shed more of thy precious love abroad in 
my heart ; enlarge it in true affection to 
thee, and make all that is within me bless 
thy holy name. 

Reader, stop a little here, and consider : 
Art thou one of these believers ? Hast thou 
a warm heart for the person of Christ ? Dost 
thou see in him, and in its highest degree, 
every thing that is lovely; and art thou 
growing and abounding in love to him ? If 
this be thy present happiness, thou wilt find 
many powerful motives to increase it in the 
45th and 72d Psalms. Read them, and see 
w^hether thou canst so mix faith, \^ ith what 
is said in them of the incarnate God, as to 
conclude with David — '' Whom have I in 
heaven, but thee ; and there is none upon 



152 

earth, that I desire besides thee." If thy 
heart be thus enamoured with his love, then 
thou hast got a key to the book of Canti- 
cles ; for thou art the spouse of Christ. 
Mayest thou experience what is therein said 
of the glories of thy heavenly Bridegroom ; 
and mayest thou grow in love to his adora- 
ble person, by finding continual tokens of 
his love to thv soul, in the several offices 
which he sustains for the dispensing of his 
favours. In these offices he is alwaj's en- 
dearing himself to his people. And this is 
the 

Second thing, w^hereby the fathers in 
Christ grow^ in the knowledge of him. There 
is not a want which sin has brought upon be- 
lievers, but there is an office in Christ, ^^ here 
it may be supplied ; and the sense and feel- 
incj of that want, leading them to trust in 
him upon the warrant of his word and pro- 
mise, will certainly bring them a supply in the 
hour of need. His offices are many, but they 
may be all included in these five. He is the 
Saviour, the Prophet, the Priest, the King, 
and the Advocate of his people. 



153 

The Saviour, Jesus, a dear name, descrip* 
fcive of his infinite grace, and sweetly suited 
to the sinner's wants. Whatever pollution or 
guilt he has contracted — whatever misery he 
deserves to suffer in time or in eternity — Je- 
sus is Jehovah, almighty to save him : for he 
was called Jesus, because he was to save his 
people from their sins. Whatever they stand 
in need of to make them happy — wisdom^ 
righteousness, holiness, comfort, or strength 
— it is all in the fulness of Jesus, freely pro- 
mised, and by faith received ; as it is writ- 
ten — '' Ye are saved freely by grace, through 
faith ;" and saved for ever : for Jesus is the 
Author of eternal salvation. The spirits of 
just men made perfect in glory, are said to 
be crying with a loud voice — '' Salvation to 
our God, who sitteth upon the throne, and 
to the Lamb, for ever and ever." So that 
the name Jesus, is dear and precious to the 
saints in heaven ; they are happily employed 
in ascribing the glory of their eternal salva- 
tion to the Lamb of God. And the believer 
has, at present, a part of their happiness : 
for Jesus is the Saviour. He can trust him 



154 

for all the promised blessings of his salva- 
tion ; and live by faith upon him for the re- 
ceiving them. As every moment some of 
them are wanted, so the Saviour's love in 
bestowing them is more experienced ; faith 
in him is thereby strengthened ; and love to 
him increased. And these graces will be 
continually growing, while the believer views 
the state of guilt and misery, from which Je- 
sus has saved him — the state of safety in 
which he has placed him— and the blessings 
which he has promised him in life, and death, 
and in eternity. Must not such a saviour 
become more precious, for continuing day 
by day such free and unmerited benefits? 
And who can receive them, sensible of his 
unworthiness, without rejoicing in such a 
salvation, and admiring and adoring the 
goodness of the saviour? Oh, most blessed 
Jesus, increase the faith of thy people, that 
they may glorify thee more by depending up* 
on thee for all the promised blessings of thy 
salvation. Teach them how to do this as 
the great 

Prophet of the house of God. This is 



155 

another of liis gracious offices, suited to the 
ignorance of iiis people : for when sin sepa- 
rated them from God, tliey then lost the light 
of life, and had no means left in their 
own power to discover God, and the things 
of God. Hear what two infallible witnesses 
say to this fact — -'" There is none that un- 
derstandeth, there is none that seeketh after 
God/' ]\Iind, here is no exception ; the 
prophet knew^ not one ; neither did the apos- 
tle — ^' All the Gentiles had the understand- 
ing darkened : being alienated from the life 
of God, through the ignorance that is in them, 
because of the blindness of their hearts/' 
To man, in this state of ignorance, what 
could be so suitable as a prophet ? And what 
prophet like him, who, being God, is posses- 
sed of infinite wisdom ; and being God-man. 
has that infinite w isdom for his people's use r 
He was made unto them wisdom ; that l)y 
his divine teaching, he might enlighten their 
understandings, and by leading them into all 
truth, might make them w ise unto salvation. 
He begins his teaching, with discovering to 
^^em their ignorance ; which is a hard lesson 



156 

to learii ; but he uses such mildness and gen- 
tleness with his authority, that by degrees 
he subdues their pride, and makes them wil- 
ling to sit at his feet to hear his words. 
This is the humble posture of all his true 
disciples. They receive him by faith for their 
teacher, convinced that without him they can 
learn nothing which belongs to their peace, 
and having been tor some time under his 
teaching, they grow more sensible of their 
want of it. He discovers to them more of 
their isnorance, and thereby brings them to a 
closer dependence upon him for wisdom. 
And that is the way they rise in his school. 
Whoever is the m.ost humble and teachable, 
he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 
The abiding sense of his standing in need of 
the divine Prophet every moment makes him 
the highest scholar. And the Lord keeps 
him in this dependant state, waiting upon 
him for his continual instruction, in hear- 
ing and reading the word ; and in prayer 
for the enlightening Spirit to make the word 
effectual. The great Prophet could teach 
without these means ; but he has commanded 



157 
us, in the use of them, to wait upon him : 
for in them he has promised to meet and 
bless his people, and for the fulfilling of this 
promise they wait. Christ's presence they 
look for in the use of all means, and they 
find it. He teaches them, how liable they 
are to err, how little they know, how soon 
they forget; and thus they grow in a depen- 
dence upon, and in love to their divine 
Teacher. And as all the treasures of wis- 
dom and knowledge are in him, and they can 
know at present but in part, they there- 
fore will be waiting upon him for more, still 
more knowledge ; and he answers his charac- 
ter, he teaches them wisdom. He shous 
them dangers, discovers to them the devices 
of satan, guards them against the errors and 
heresies of the day, makes manifest the 
snares of the world; and in all respects fulfils 
to them the office of an infallible prophet : 
for he keeps them from resting upon any- 
false foundation, and enables them to build 
all their hopes of acceptance with God upon 
the atonement made by the high 

Priest of our profession, Christ Jesu5.. 
O 



•1 

d f 



158 

This is his chief office. He is our Proi)het 
to teach us our guilty helpless state, and 
to bring us to rely upon him to save us from 
it, by being our Priest, All we have sin- 
ned, and have incurred the pains and pe- I 
nalties due to sin. We are all justly liable 
<to the sufferings and death, to the curse, 
and to the separation from God, threatened 
in his law to transgressors ; and we have 
no means in our own power to escape them. 
How full then of grace and love was the 
heart of our blessed Immanuel, that he 
would vouchsafe to be a priest to offer gifts 
and sacrifices for sin ? His i^ifts were in- 
finitely precious — he gave himself for us, 
the gift of his eternal godhead, the gift of 
his immaculate manhood, body and soul ; in 
which he obeyed perfectly, and so magni- 
fied the law, that it may be eternally ho- 
nourable in admitting those, who have sin- 
ned, into heaven — the gift of his prevailing f 
prayer for all that shall believe in him to 
the end of the world — and the gift of his 
body and soul to be once oflered for sin, in 
the place and in the stead of sinners ; as it 



159 
is written, ^- He suftered once for sins, the 
just for the unjust, that he might bring us 
unto God — He died for our sins according 
to the scriptures — He was made a curse 
for us, that he might redeem us from the 
curse of the law, and that we Avho some- 
times were afar oflf might be made nigh by 
his blood, and might through him have ac- 
cess by one Spirit unto the Father." In 
these most precious gifts, in this everlasting- 
ly meritorious Sacrifice, consists the office of 
our divine priest ; and upon him the believer 
rests. He is enabled upon this foundation 
to build all his hopes of acceptance. The 
great atonement made by Jesus's obedience 
unto death, is all his salvation, and all his 
desire — all his salvation : for he looks no 
where else, but to Jesus and him crucified : 
he depends upon nothing else to save him 
from suffering and death, from the curse 
of the law, and from being eternally sepa- 
rated from God. And this is all his de- 
sire — to get a closer acquaintance, and more 
intimate communion with the crucified Je- 
sus. This is his one study and delightr— 



160 

1 have determined, says he, to know no- 
thing but Jesus, by whom I have now re- 
ceived the atonement. God forbid that I 
should glory, except in the cross of my 
Lord Jesus Christ. I would look upon all 
other things as dross and dung, compared 
to the excellency of the knowledge of that 
one offering, by which he hath perfected foir 
ever them that are sanctified. In this his 
priestly office, bleeding and dying for me, 
he is beyond description, beyond concep- 
tion, full of grace and truth; and daily he 
becomes more lovely in mine eyes. As I 
discover more of the exceeding sinfulness 
of my heart and life, my meritorious Priest 
grows more dear to me : I rest more safely 
on his atonement, satisfied of its infinite 
sufficiency to bring me near to God. And 
finding my faith and hopes established in 
it, and through it a free access to the Fa- 
ther, Jesus, the sacrificed Lamb of God, be- 
comes day by day more precious to my 
heart. His blood and righteousness are the 
continual rejoicing of my soul. Oh! how 
happy am I in this my royal Priest : fpr 



161 
now, even now, have I redemption in his 
blood, the forgiveness of sins — I am safe 
from the destroying angel under the blood 
of sprinkling ; and I have also boldness to 
enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. 
Daily do I experience more of the riches of 
his grace, comforting, strengthening, and 
sanctifying me through faith in his most 
precious blood. Through this he saves me 
from hell ; through this he bestows upon me 
heaven ; and for this shall be my song of 
everlasting praise. Unto him who hath 
thus exceedingly loved me, and hath wash- 
ed me from my sins in his own blood, and 
hath made me, the vilest of sinners,^ a king 
and a priest (amazing grace !) unto God and 
his Father ; to him be glory and dominion 
for ever and ever. Auicil 

These are the breathings of the believing 
soul, now become well grounded upon the 
atonement, and living upon the priestl}^ of- 
fice of the Lord Jesus Christ, for peace and 
joy, and expecting to be established in them 
continually by his power, which makes an- 
other of his offices necessary : for some cor» 

O 2 



162 

raption or enemy, temptation or trouble, 
will be always trying to draw the eye of 
faith from looking unto Jesus the High 
Priest of our profession ; and such is the 
believer's helplessness, that he could not be 
fixed a moment, was not Jesus a priest upon 
Ws throne, almighty to make all his enemies 
his footstool, and to rule in and over his peo- 
ple as their 

KINO. In this relation he exceedingly 
endears himself to them : for they are in 
themselves weak and helpless. They are 
without strength to resist the least tempta- 
tion, or to overcome the weakest enemy. 
They cannot of themselves subdue one cor- 
ruption, or get the victory over a single lust. 
Neither can they perform one act of spiritu- 
al life. They cannot make nor keep them- 
selves alive to God by any power of their 
own : for without Christ they can do no- 
thing. Most mercifully then is his kingly 
office suited to their weakness. He is the 
great king^ over all the earth, as God ; but 
^le has a peculiar rule in and over believers 
4^ God-man, the Head of the body the 



163 

church ; to which he is connected by as 
close and near a bond, as the members of 
the body are with the head. He is the 
first in dignity, as the head is, and in all 
things has the pre-eminence ; and what the 
natural head is to its members, the same he 
is to the members of his spiritual body : for 
he is the Head, from which all the body, by 
joints and bands, having nourishment minis- 
tered, and knit together, increaseth with the 
increase of God. And for the ministering 
of proper nourishment and influence to his 
members, he has all power in heaven and 
earth in his hand. He is the Lord God 
omnipotent, whose kingdom ruleth over all. 
It is not an outward thing, like the kingdoms 
of the world ; but, says he, the kingdom of 
God is within you. He sets it up within, 
in the hearts of his people, and there he 
sways the sceptre of his grace, subduing all 
the evils within, and conquering all the ene- 
mies without, by his almighty arm. He 
takes them and theirs under his royal pro- 
tection, and manages all their matters for 
them, until he bring them by his power, un- 



164^ 
to eternal salvation. The power is his ; - but 
by faith it becomes theirs. When they find 
themselves helpless and without strength, 
then they look up to him to make them 
strong in the Lord, and by faith rest upon 
his promised strength, and thereby receive 
whatever degree of it is needful at that 
time. Thus they live by faith upon their 
almighty King, and they glorify him by 
trusting in him for strength. By daily ex- 
perience they become more sensible of their 
w^eakncss, and learn to live more out of 
themselves upon him. They find the safety, 
the comfort of this. They see it is far bet- 
ter for them to be dependant upon Christ, 
that his powder may rest upon them, than 
that they should be strong in themselves : 
and therefore they rejoice ; they take plea- 
sure in their own weakness, because it illus- 
trates and magnifies the powder of Christ, 
who does all for them, and in them. 

Hear one of these happy believers thus 
describing his case : I was cauglit up, says 
he, into the third heavens, into paradise, and 
I heard there unspeakable words, which it 



165 

is not possible for a man to utter : and lest 
I should be exalted above measure, through 
the abundance of the revelations, there was 
given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messen- 
ger of satan to buffet me, lest I should be 
exalted above measure ; for this thing I be- 
sought the Lord thrice, that he would take 
it away from me. And he said unto me, 
My grace is sufficient for thee — My grace 
is sufficient to sanctify this cross, and to sup- 
port thee under it ; it will be for my glory 
and for thy good it should be continued : 
because my strength is made perfect in 
weakness — The weaker thou art, the more 
will my strength be magnified in bearing 
thee up, until faith and patience have their 
perfect work. This divine answer from my 
Lord and King satisfied me, and I have for 
fourteen years had sweet experience of the 
truth of it. I am a witness to the all- suffi- 
ciency of Jesus's grace ; but never have I 
found so much of it, as when I have been 
the most helpless in myself; and therefore 
most gladly will I glory in njy infirmities and 
weaknesses, that the power of Christ may 



166 

ifest upon me, that his power may be 
tinually glorified by my continually depend| 
ing upon him for it ; and that I may have 
fresh evidence of Christ's power workin| 
mightily in nre. Since the Lord is thus 
come my strength, I take pleasure in infirm-^ 
ities, in reproaches, in necessities, in perse^ 
cutions, in distresses for Christ's sake, in 
whatever I suffer for him and his cause: 
for when I am v/eak, then am I strong, — 
weak in myself, strong in the Lord; strong- 
er in him the more sensible I am of my 
own w'eakness, and then strongest of all, 
when finding I can do nothing, I live by 
faith upon him to do all for me. In this 
state of weakness and dependence I glory, I 
take perfect pleasure in it ; because it ho- 
nours the kingly office of my Lord Christ, 
and makes it plain to myself and others, 
that he keeps me every moment by his 
mighty power : for since I can do nothing, 
the excellency of the power which does all 
in nie and by me, appears evidently to be of 
God, and not of man. 

Reader, is not this ati happy cHse? Is' not 



167 
that man blessed whose strength is in the 
Lord, and who can say in faith, Surely in 
the Lord have I strength ? And what hin- 
ders thee from being as strong in the Lord' 
as Paul was ? Thou hast the same promises, 
the same God and Saviour to fulfil them ; 
and, for thy greater encouragement, to live 
upon him by faith, for the fulfilling of them 
to thee, he has another ofiice, in which he 
condescends to be thy 

ADVOCATE, freely to take thy cause 
in hand, and to see it carried in the court of 
heaven. In this character he would repre- 
sent himself, as having undertaken to an- 
swer all charges against thee, from whatever 
quarter they come, and to obtain for thee 
every blessing promised in his word, and for 
which thou appliest to him by faith in the 
time of need. In this amiable light he 
would have thee to consider him as thy days- 
man, to whom, being thy Saviour and thy 
Friend, thou mayest safely refer thy cause, 
as the INIediator between God and man, 
who will transact all thy matters for thee 
with the Father, and as thv interceesor who 



168 

appears in the presence of God for thee, 
that every blessing of his salvation may be 
thine. Under these names the scripture 
describes the advocateship of the Lord 
Christ, which office he sustains for thy sake, 
to encourage thee to come with boldness to 
the throne of his grace. Thou hast a friend 
there, who is bound by his word, and also 
by his office, to see that thou want no man- 
ner of thing which is good ; and although 
all things seem to make against thee, and 
thou canst find no human means of obtain- 
ing the promised good, which thou wantest^ 
then look up to the Lord Jesus. Thou 
wilt glorify him at such a time, if thou 
canst trust in his intercession, and if the 
workings of thy faith be such as these — • 

Although I am less than the least of 
God's mercies, a vile sinner ; and to this 
moment an unprofitable servant, deserving 
for my very best works and duties, to be pun- 
ished with everlasting destruction from the 
presence of the Lord ; yet glory be to his 
infinite grace, I have an advocate with the 
Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous;- and he 



1 69 
is the Propitiation for my sins. All the bles- 
sings which he has promised to give his clear 
people, as their Saviour, their Prophet, 
Priest, and King, he is my advocate with 
the Father to obtain for me. — A righteous 
advocate^ who asks nothing but what he has 
a right to, and who never asks in vain. It 
hath pleased the Father, that all fulness 
should dwell in the head of the body, the 
church ; and it pleaseth him that the mem- 
bers should, from the fulness of their head, 
receive abundantly all the influence they 
want: for the Father himself loveth them; 
and out of his infinite love gave his Son to 
be their head, that he might fill all in all of 
them. What then may not I expect from 
such an Advocate with such a Father? Al- 
ready have I received so much, that I know 
Jesus appears in the presence of God for 
me. I can trust my cause in his hands. 
He has taught me to leave all my matters to 
his management, and I desire more simply 
to resign them up to him. I find every thing 
goes on well, which is left to his direction; 

and nothing miscarries, but what I undertake 

P 



170 

without him. Oh, for more faith! The Lord 
increase it, that my precious advocate may 
be more glorified by my trusting him more, 
and that he may have all the honour of con- 
ducting my affairs, spiritual and temporal, in 
earth and heaven, in time and in eternity : 
Even so be it, Lord Jesus. 

After the believer has been taught thus to , 
trust the Lord Christ, and to expect that ^ 
grace, which, in his several offices, he is en- 
gaged to give, then his conversation will be 
well ordered ; and as he daily grows in faith 
and dependence upon Christ, he will walk 
more in the comfort of the Holy Ghost : his 
outward, as well as inward matters^ will 
come under the influence of grace • and will 
be left to the direction and government of 
the Lord Jesus ; which is another excellency 
of the life of faith ; and which renders it in-^ 
finitely pl'eferable to any other w^ay of living. 

The state of the case is this : Christ has 
all power in heaven and earth, given unto 
him. As God-man, he has a mediatorial 
kingdom, w^hieh fuleth over all created be- 
ings and things : for they subsist by the w^ord 



171 
of his power ; and are upheld by his provi- 
dence : so that whatever, in his infinite love 
and wisdom, he sees best for his people, he is 
almio"hty to bestov/ it on them. They can 
want no promised good, nor suffer any out- 
ward evil ; but he is able to give the one, 
and to deliver from the other. Their w ants 
are many ; their sufferings great. Sin has 
brought disorder upon the whole creation, 
The outward state of man in the w^orld is 
full of misery ; not only following him, but al- 
so in him ; in his very frame and constitution. 
Pain, sickness, mortality in his body, emp- 
tiness in his enjoyments, disappointments, 
losses, worldly cares, something or other in 
body or estate troubling him ; for man is born 
to trouble. What manner of love, then, is 
this, that God our Saviour would ,take these 
things under his government, and manage 
them for the good of his people ; whom he 
w^ould have to be happy in him in this world, 
as \^ell as in the next? He has given them 
many great and precious promises relating to 
the life that now is ; and he is faithful, who 
hath promised to supply their earthly wants. 



172 

to sanctify their sufferings, and to make alV 
things work together, under him, for their 
good. He has kindly undertaken their tem- 
poral, as well as their spiritual concerns ; for 
nothing was left out of the covenant of grace. 
It was ordered in all things. The outward 
state and condition of believers, their pover- 
ty or riches, health or sickness, trials of every 
kind ; how great they should be, how long 
they should continue, are all appointed and 
unalterably fixed ; nothing left for chance to 
do. When the Lord God determined to bring 
many sons unto glory through Christ Jesus, 
the means by which he intended to bring 
them unto that end, were in his purpose, as 
well as the end itself : therefore all things 
were ordered and made sure, even to the 
very hairs of their head ; for they are all 
numbered. What a continual source of 
comfort is this to believers ? Their present 
happiness is provided for as well as their 
eternal, in the covenant of grace. God is 
become their God, has made himself known 
to them in this covenant-relation, and has 
thereby bound himself to give whatever he 



173 

sees will be the best for them. But because 
he knoweth their frame, and how apt they 
are, under hard and long trials of faith, to 
be discouraged, he has therefore made them 
many sweet temporal promises for their sup- 
port. Lest they should be w^eary and faint 
in their minds, he has engaged to deliver 
them from all evil. '' Many are the afflictions 
of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth 
him out of them all," Psabn xxxiv. 19. He 
delivers two ways, either by entirely remov- 
ing the affliction, or by changing its nature ; 
for he takes the curse out of it, and turns it 
into a real blessing, he makes it the means 
of increasing faith and patience ; sw^eetens it 
with a sense of his presence, and demon- 
strates that it comes from love, by its in- 
creasing love to him in the heart of the right 
eous. This is the best deliverance, as one 
of the greatest sufferers for Christ witnesses, 
w^ho, upon the mention of his afflictions, de- 
clares : " Out of them all the Lord deliver- 
ed me," by saving me from the evil that was 
in them, and by making them yield the 

peaceable fi'uit of righteousness, 
P 2 



174 

The Lord has also engaged to bestow 
upon believers all good : " They that seek 
the Lord shall not want any good thing." 
Psal. xxxiv. 10. Their loving Shepherd 
will see that they lack nothing; no good 
thing will he with-hold from them. To the 
same purpose are the promises in the New 
Testament, Matt. vi. 33. Seek ye first the 
kingdom of God and his righteousness, and 
all these things, food and raiment, and 
all necessaries, shall be added unto you : I 
your God and Saviour give you my word 
for it ; trust me, and you shall never want. 
With confidence did he believe it, w ho said 
to the Philippians, iv 19. " My God shall 
supply ALL your need, according to his rich- 
es in glory by Christ Jesus." What a pow^- 
erful motive is here for the streno;thening of 
our faith, that, be our wants ever so many^ 
ever so great, our God has engaged to sup- 
ply them all ? We may boldly then cast all 
our care upon him, since he careth for us, 
and may rest assured of his managing our 
whole outward estate, infinitely better than 
we could for ourselves. What trouble. 



175 

what burdens shall we be hereby eased of! 
"What peace of mind shall we enjoy, when 
we can give up all our temporal concerns 
into the Lord's hands, and by faith see them 
all conducted for our good, by his infinite 
wisdom and almighty love ! Blessed, surely, 
is the man who thus putteth his trust in the 
Lord his God. He is delivered from the 
anxious care of getting, and from the fear 
of losing what he has got : he is easy about 
the present, the future he leaves to the Lord : 
his conversation is without covetousness, 
and he is content with suchtbinirs as he has, 
and thereby he escapes thousands of the 
common troubles of life. In this sweet 
peace he enjoys his soul, because the Lord 
has said to him — " I will never leave thee 
nor forsake thee," in any state, in any want, 
or in any distress — I will be ever with thee 
to turn all things, seem they ever so afflict- 
in^y, into real blessings. Trustino; to this 
word, which cannot be broken, he may bold- 
ly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not 
fear what man shall do unto me : let the 
world persecute me, my trade fail, poverty 



}76 
pinch me, sickness pain me, friends leave 
me, and all outward comforts forsake me, 
nevertheless 1 am a happy man. The Lord 
Christ is^ my portion, my all sufficient por- 
tion still ; and these things, being of his 
appointment, are for the best. I find them 
so, glory be to him. He makes them the 
means of weaning me from the world, 
deadening the old man of sin, bringing 
me to a more intimate acquaintance with 
himself, and to a greater experience of 
his goodness to my soul ; whereby he ena- 
bles me to trust all things for time and for 
eternity in his hands, who hath said unto 
me, and faithful is he that hath spoken, who 
also will do it, ''1 will never leave thee nor 
forsake thee." 

But some may say, are there a»y persons 
who live thus above the world, freed from its 
cares, and fears, and troubles ? Yes, thanks 
be to God for his unspeakable gift. He 
has promised to make all things to work to- 
gether for good to them that love him, and 
he has had witnesses in every age of his 
faithfulness in fulfilling his promises. Read 
tiiat little book of martyrs, Hebirws xi. and 



177 
you will see how happy they were in God, 
not only in prosperity, but also when all the 
W'orld was against them. Great were the 
triumphs of their faith. They chose to suf- 
fer affliction, rather than to enjoy the plea- 
sures of sin for a season; they esteemed 
the reproach of Christ, and set more value 
upon it, than upon riches and honours. And 
we have a great cloud of witnesses in the 
New Testament, who rejoiced, that they 
were accounted worthy to suffer shame for 
the name of Christ; who blessed their revi- 
lers, prayed for their persecutors, and took 
joyfully the spoiling of their goods. Hear 
one of them speaking the sentiments of the 
rest : '^ I account all things but loss, for the 
excellency of the knowledge. of Christ Jesus 
my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss 
of all things ; and I do account them but 
dung, that I may win Christ." Still there 
are some among us of Paul's mind. The 
Lord hath not left himself without wit- 
ness. We have a few names, (may the 
Lord daily add to their number,) who pan 
trust all their temporal afiairs in the hands 



178 

of Christ, and Mho find the happmess oi 
having them in his management. He does 
all things well for them : what would make 
them unhappy he takes upon himself — 
" Cast thy burden on the Lord/' says he, 
*' and he shall sustain thee/' and he does 
sustain the weight of it, and thereby frees 
them from anxious care, and gives them 
sweet content. They have enough, let them 
have ever so little of outward things, because 
they have got the Pearl of great price. 
Christ is theirs, and the Spirit of Christ 
enables them to make up all their happiness 
in him, and not in the things which perish in 
the using. Christ, with bread and water, is 
worth ten thousand worlds. Christ, with 
pain, is better than the highest pleasures of 
sin. Christ, with all outward sufferings, is 
matter of present, and of eternal joy. Surely 
these are the only happy people living. Rea- 
der, art thou not one of them ? Art thou not 
a partaker of their happiness? If thou art 
a believer, it is thy privilege ; thy title to it 
is good, and thou en^erest into possession by 
faith ; and if it be so weak that thou art not 



179 
so happy as they are, thou shouldest take 
shame to thyself for distionouring God thy 
Saviour, for robbing hiin of his glory before 
men, and for injuring thine own soul^ bv not 
committing all thy outward matters unto his 
guidance. What could he do more, than he 
has done^ to encourage thee to leave them 
to him, that he might manage them for thee? 
He has given thee argument upon argument, 
promises in abundance, bonds which cannot 
be broken, immutable things, in which it is 
impossible that God should, lie, to convince 
thee that thou mayest safely trust in him 
for all temporal things, which he knows will 
be for thy good. O pray then for more 
faith. Beg of the Lord to enable thee to 
walk more by faith, and less by sense, that 
thou mayest commit thy w ay entirely unto 
him, and he may direct all thy paths. The 
tnore thou trusteth in him, the happier he 
will make thee. Therefore daily intreat 
him to deliver thee from taking any anxious 
thought for thy life, v.hat thou shalt eat, or 
what thou shalt drink ; or yet for thy body 
what thou shalt put on. Since he knoweth 



iS() 

thou hast need of all those things, and has 
sent thee to the fowls of the air, and to the 
grass of the field, to see what a rich provi- 
sion he makes for them ; art thou not much 
better than they? Oh ! pray still for the in- 
crease of faith, that all thy worldly matters 
being resigned, and given up into the hands 
of the Lord thy God, thou may est be eased 
of many weights and burdens^ and mayesl 
run with more patience and joy the raca, 
that is set before thee. 

As these fathers in Christ learn by daily 
experience, to live more upon him for th 
bread that perisheth, so do they for th 
bread that endureth unto everlasting life 
They attain to a fixed settled dependence 
upon Christ for the conducting of all things 
belonging to their state of grace, to their 
comfortable walk in it, and to their finishing 
their course happily. They grow in the know* 
ledge of those blessed truths, are more 
grounded and better established in them, and 
these being received and enjoyed by faith, do 
manifest the excellency of living by it above 
hny other state, except that of glory. 



1 



181 

Firstj they are pardoned and accepted iu 
the Beloved — in him partakers of every 
covenant-^iercy : for he was made of God 
unto them wisdom, righteousness, sanctifi- 
cation, and redemption. His whole salva- 
tion is theirs. And this is their state of 
grace, into w4iich he has brought them, and 
by faith put them into the present enjoy- 
ment of it. 

This was largely treated of before, but 
cannot be too much insisted upon^ both be- 
cause there is a growth in the knowledge of 
the covenant, and clearer evidence daily 
to be had of the believer's interest in it; and 
also because the love, and wisdom, and 
mercy, in contriving, the power in execu- ' 
ting, the grace in applying, the blessings of 
the covenant, are all infinite. The height 
and depth, the length and breadth of those 
divine perfections cannot be fully compre- 
hended. They surpass knowledge ; so that 
if a believer knows a great deal of the way 
of salvation ; yet there is still more, far 
more to be known. So long ^s he lives 
he must be learning, waiting upon the 

Q 



182 

divine Prophet for Iiis inward teaching, and 
he will become more dependant upon him, 
the more he learns : for the wiser he grows, 
the clearer views will he have of his having 
attained as yet but little w isdom, w hich 
makes him press forward. He believes, 
that all the treasures of wisdom, and know^- 
iedge, are laid up in Christ ; and he longs 
for more knowledge of his gracious under- 
takings, of his adorable person, and of his 
full and free salvation. He follows on to 
know the Lord. He advances from one 
degree to another, from faith to faith, and 
is not satisfied with any discovery until that 
which is in part be done away, and he shall 
know even as also he is known. 

The believer, being thus satisfied that he 
is in a safe state, looks up to the Lord, to 
keep him, and to enable him to walk com- 
fortably in it, which is another excellency 
of the life of faith. All things are well 
ordered in the covenant, for every step he 
is to take : all treasured up in the fulness 
of Christ, and by faith received out of it. 
The believer has many enemies opposing 



183 

him in his way heaven-wards; but in Christ 
he has strength sufficient to conquer them 
all, and does conquer them. His worst ene- 
my, that gives him most uneasiness, is in- 
d welling sin, which is never at rest, like the 
troubled sea, always casting up some of its 
filthy motions and corruptions ; so that 
when he is in prayer, it is ever trying to 
amuse and distract tlie mind with a thou- 
sand vain and idle thoughts, to weaken faith 
by its carnal reasonings and doubts, or when 
he is in any holy duty, it is ever present M'ith 
him to liinder him from doing it so perfect- 
ly as he would. Over this enemy there is 
no victory but by faith. The old man of 
sin defies all strength, except that which is 
almighty, and therefore this the Lord has 
promised ; and these believers had experi- 
ence of his faithfulness, whose iniquities he 
had pardoned, and w^ho declared, JlTich. vii. 
19. " He will subdue our iniquities." He 
will do it : He is engaged by promise, by 
office ; it is his glory to save his people from 
the dominion of their sins. On him there- 
fore they depend for continual victory; and 



184 
according to their faith so is it done unto 
them. While they fight against sin, relying^ 
on the strength of their almighty King, theyJ 
always conquer. His arm subdues the 
strongest lust ; but if they attack the weak* 
est without him, they are infallibly conquer-fj 
ed. -And this has so often happened tot 
jthose fathers that know him that is from 
the beginning, that now^ they never dare go 
down to battle, but with their eyes upon 
the Lord. He has taught them to depend 
wholly upon him for the crucifying of the 
old man of sin day by day, and in the pow- 
er of his might armies of lusts are made to 
flee before them. The Captain of their sal- 
vation encourages them to fight on, not only 
by subduing sin in them; but also by mak- 
ing this the earnest of their having in him aa 
absolute mortification of sin. By faith they 
see it, and his victorious grace will never 
leave tliem until he put them into full pos- 
session of it. Thanks be to God through 
Jesus Christ their I^ord, ere long they shall 
have perfect and everlasting victory ove* 
the whole body and being of sin. And, 



185 

As the old man is thus crucified, so is the 

new man quickened by the power of Jesus, 

received by faith, according to what ie 

written, '' The just shall live by his faith." 

The justified person, by his union with 

Christ, is a partaker of the grace of life, 

and in virtue of this union he live^ upon 

Christ as a member does in the body, and 

thereby he has communion with the Father, 

by the bond of the Spirit ; and this spiritual 

life is begun and carried on by faith ; it is a 

life of faith, not as if faith quickened a dead 

sinner : for Christ is our life. But the sense 

and comfort, and strength of that life which 

Christ gives, are received by faith, and 

these are according as faith is. If faith be 

weak, so are they. As it grows, so do they. 

Which discovers to us another wonderful 

excellency of the life of faith, since by it we 

now partake of a spiritual and eternal life : 

^' For he that believeth hath everlasting 

life ;" hath it now, is already passed from 

death unto life; and he looks up to the Lord 

and giver of it for every thing needful, and 

expects it out of his fulness. Hear one of 

Q2 



186 

these happy believers thus relating his case. 
I am dead to the law, says he, yet alive to 
God ; I am crucified with Christ, and am a 
partaker of the merit and power of his cross, 
and by faith I have in him an absolute cru- 
cifixion of sin ; and although the old man is 
thus crucified, yet the new man liveth : ne- 
vertheless I live, yet not I — I live a spiritual 
life, yet not 1 as a natural man — I did not 
quicken myself, I cannot keep myself alive ; 
Christ liveth in me, he is the Author of my 
life, and on him I depend for the continu- 
ance of it in time and in eternity : for the life 
which I now live in the flesh, w hile I am in 
this body of sin and death, I live by the 
faith of the Son of God ; he is the Author, 
he is the Object of that faith, by which I 
have received life from him : by an act of 
sovereign grace he quickened me from a 
death in trespasses and sins, and united me 
as a living member into his mystical body, 
and 1 am kept alive through his living, act- 
ing, and w orking in me by his Spirit ; he 
dw elleth in my heart by faith, and the more 
clearly I se^ this, the more do I love and en- 



187 

joy the Prince of life, my precious, above all 
expression, infinitely, eternally precious Je- 
sus, who loved me and gave himself for 
me, that by his death I might be dead to 
sin, and by his resurrection uiight live to 
and with God for ever and ever. Thanks 
and praise be to thee without ceasing, thou 
dear Lamb of God, for thy love to me the 
chief of sinners. Let all tliy people say^ 
Amen. 

This is the happy case of those believers, 
who are, like the blessed Paul, strong in the 
Lord Christ. By his death tliey are dead to 
sin, and because he liveth they are alive to 
God : for they who are joined to the Lord 
are one spirit. And as their faith increases, 
they have more spiritual fellov/ship with 
Christ in his death and resurrection, not only 
in the merit, but also in the efficacy of both. 
They grow more dependant upon the Lord's 
strength, and he daily mortifies in them the 
old man of sin, and as he grows weaker their 
other enemies have less power over them. By 
their lusts satan tempts them ; the more these 
are mortified, the weaker will be his tempta* 



tions. By their lusts^ by the lusts of the flesh, 
the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, the 
world tempts them ; as these are subdued, 
they will be more crucified to the world. 
Christ Irving, dwelling, and reigning in them 
by faith, will day by day weaken the strength 
of sin and satan, and the world ; and by the 
power of his death and resurrection he will 
be conforming them more to his own image 
and likeness. He will by faith enable them 
to be growing up into him in all things, as 
long as they live. They will be going on 
from strength to strength, till sin and death 
be swallowed up in victory. 

Until that happy time come, he has ap- 
pointed certain means, in the use of which, 
they are to wait for the continual receiving 
of grace from him, to deaden the old man^ 
and for the growth of the new. And this 
grace they receive ; not merely because they 
use the means, but because they use them in 
faith ; expecting his presence in, and bles- 
sing upon them. Believers set the Lord al- 
ways before them, and look, through the 
means, at him : for without him, they are 



189 
good for nothing ; but when observed, ac- 
cording to his mind and will, as acts of trust 
in his promise, and of dependence upon liis 
feitlifulness ; then they answer the end for 
which they were instituted, and become the 
means of spiritual communion with him. 
And thus legal duties becom.e Christian pri- 
vileges. One of these means is attendance 
apon public worship ; the ground and reason 
for which, is Christ's promise — " Where two 
or three are gathered together, in my name, 
there am 1 in the midst of them." — Two or 
three believers make a church, when they are 
gathered together in the name of Christ's di- 
vinity. By faith they expect the fulfilling of 
his promise, and his presence in the midst of 
them ; and they are then most spiritual wor- 
shippers, when they are looking most unto 
Jesus, and enjoying communion with him. 
What are their prayers, but acts of faith and 
dependanc^ ? " Whatever ye shall ask, says 
Christ, in my name, believing, ye shall re- 
ceive.'' Which words show us, that pray- 
er is nothing worth, unless it be presented in 
Christ's name ; and in faith relying on 



190 

Christ's promise to hear and answer. The 
object of prayer, is the Godhead in three 
persons. The address to each, is in their 
covenant offices ; and the petitions to each 
should be according as they stand related to 
sinners in those offices ; and the communion 
with the divine persons is thus expressed—- 
'^^ Through Christ Jesus we have an access 
by one Spirit unto the Father ;" and what- 
ever we ask, believing, we receive. What 
is believers' hearing the word? Is it not a 
continual dependance upon their divine 
Teacher^ to make his word, spirit, and life, 
unto their souls ? They expect his presence 
to enable them to mix faith with what they 
hear ; and then they grow thereby. What 
is their keeping the Lord's day ? Is it not to 
express their belief of his being risen, and 
entered into his rest ; and of their having, 
by believing, entered into rest also? And, 
therefore, they wait upon Christ in the ordi- 
nances, to keep them, until he bring them to 
his eternal sabbath ; to that rest which re- 
maineth for the people of God. What is 
their attendance upon the Lord's supper? 



191 

Is it not the communion of the blood of 
Christ, and the communion of the body of 
Christ ; a real partaking by faith of his bro- 
ken body, and of his precious blood-shed- 
ding, and of all the benefits of his passion? 
In these, and all other ways of God's ap- 
pointment, they expect Christ's presence, and 
therefore they go to them with gladness of 
heart to meet him. He is the dear Object 
of iheir love, and he grows more lovely by 
every day's experience. They taste and see 
more how gracious he is ; and, therefore, to 
converse with him in prayer, and to be in 
his company in the ordinances, becomes 
more sweet and delightful to them. Oh ! 
w hat happy moments do they therein spend ! 
AH the great, rich, and pleasant things in 
the world, are less than nothing, compared 
to this joy. Communion w ith Christ is hea- 
ven begun ; and by faith they enjoy it ; and 
nothing can rob them of it, but sin ; w hich 
makes them careful in their life and conver- 
sation, to please their gracious Lord. They 
depend upon him to teach them his will, and 
to give them strength to perform it; that 



they may walk before him, in all well-pleas- 
ing. Whatever is opposite to his will^ they 
dread ; because it w ould deprive them of 
their greatest blessing, even communion with 
their best and bosom friend. Sin, viewed in 
this lio;ht, is blacker and viler than all the 
devils in hell. The love of Christ shows 
sin in its exceeding Sinfulness ; and faith, 
working by love to Christ, gains daily victo- 
ry over it. He who has the love of Christ 
in his heart, will be thereby sweetly con- 
strained to fight against, and powerfully en- 
abled to conquer sin ; so that it cannot sepa- 
rate him from his beloved Saviour ; nay, it 
shall make him live in closer and nearer con- 
nexion. The motions of sin within, and 
temptations without, to which he is continu- 
ally liable, will show him the necessity of 
living in a settled dependance upon the grace 
and strength of the Captain of his salvation ; 
who will lead him on, conquering and to 
conquer, until he make him at last more than 
conqueror. 

The same faith, working by love, has 
gained the hearts and affections of believers 



193 

over to the interest of holiness, and the 
commandments now cease to be grievous. 
Love to Christ, who is perfect righteousness 
and holiness, cannot consist w ith the hatred 
of eitlier ; nay, they are renewed after his 
image in both ; and renewed in knowledge, 
that they might know his precious image ; 
and renewed in heart, that they might love it; 
therefore, being thus created anew in Christ 
Jesus, they will certainly, in the inner man, 
delight in ricrhteousness and true holiness. He 
has shed his love abroad in their hearts, has 
won them to himself, and now nothing is dear- 
er to them than that everlasting righteousness 
by which he justifies them, and that true 
holiness, of which they are become partakers 
in him, which they evidence by a holy walk, 
and in which he will present them holy, and 
unblameable, and unrebukeable, before the 
Father. Thus he has perfectly secured 
the interest of holiness and the glory ot the 
most holy God ; for they are his workman- 
ship, created unto good works, to love them, 
to do them, to walk in them, as the way to 

R 



194 
the kingdom, and they live by faith upr 
on Christ's strength for will and power to 
do them, and upon his intercession for 
the acceptance of them, laying them all up- 
on the golden altar that sanctifieth the 
gifts. Thus their whole dependence is 
upon Christ. He is all, and in all, of 
their christian walk. To him they look 
for every thing needful, to enable them to 
glorify God in their lives, and to show 
forth the virtues of him that hath called 
them; on his grace they rely, that their 
conversation may be as becometh the gospel 
of Christ, and that they may adorn the doc- 
trine of God their Saviour in all things ; and 
they find in him a sufficiency of grace, yea, 
they can do all things, and suffer all things 
through Christ strengthening them. What- 
ever difficulties they meet with in the way 
of duty, leaning upon their Beloved, he 
carries them through all — Whatever tempt- 
ations, I will be with thee, says he, in the 
hour of temptation ; look unto me, and thou 
shalt be saved — Whatever enemies. Fear 
them not, says he, for I am with thee, be 



Wo 
not dismayed, for I am thy God ; I will 
strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, 
I will uphold thee with the right hand 
of righteousness — Whatever sorrows, Your 
sorrows, says he^ shall be turned into 
joy, and your joy no man taketh from 
you — Whatever sickness, I will strength- 
en thee upon the bed of languishing, and 
I will make all thy bed in thy sickness 
— Whatever poverty, I will be a strength 
to the poor, a strength to the needy in his 
distress — Whatever persecution, Blessed are 
ye, says he, who are persecuted for righte- 
ousness' sake ; I pronounce you, I will make 
you blessed. Thus Christ is with them, 
and none of the evils or miseries of life can 
separate them from him. He keeps them 
safe, and carries them through all their tri- 
als by his mighty power ; and , they, trust- 
ing in him, find that he makes all things 
work together for their good. What a 
blessed life is this ! Surely there is none like 
it : for the life of faith is glory begun. 
The privileges, the happiness of it, are 
greater than can be described. The strong- 



196 
est believers upon earth may daily know 
more, and may experience far more of the 
comfort of walking by faith, because as they 
grow more established in it, they will be re- 
ceiving more power over sin, and will walk 
nearer to God. Having but one object 
to look unto, and to live upon for all things ; 
here they will be quietly settled. What 
can so effectually keep them from being 
tossed to and fro, as to have all fulness 
treasured up for their use in Christ, and to 
be brought to a fixt dependence upon this 
fulness, and to live upon it for all things be- 
longing to life and godliness ? Hereby sweet 
peace will be established within, and there 
will be a regular walk in the outward con- 
versation. The whole man will experience 
what the Lord has promised to his redeemed 
people — '' I will cause them to walk by the 
rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein 
they shall not stumble. He leads them by 
his Spirit, and causes them to walk by the 
rivers of waters, where there are abundant 
streams of grace continually flowing, and he 
guides them in a strait way, that they shall 



not stumble or err therein ; but shall be 
kept happily to the end of their course, and 
shall finish it to their everlasting joy. And 
This is another inestimable privilege of be- 
lievers. Christ has engaged to keep them 
unto the end ; and having begun a good 
work in them, he has promised never to leave 
it until it be finished. What a strens;thenins 
is this to their faith, and what a glory does it 
put upon the whole life of faith, that it is a 
life which cannot perish ? Believers have in 
them the immortal seed of eternal life. This 
is the crown of all : for how wall this bear 
them up under crosses, support them in 
troubles, carry them on in their warfare 
against the flesh, the devil, and the world, and 
make them defy all dangers, yea, death itself, 
since they are assured, from the mouth of 
God their Saviour, that none shall pluck 
them out of his hands. They do not trust 
themselves, or have any dependence upon 
grace received, but they rely upon the faith 
fulness and power of Jesus ; who has given 
them abundant evidence, that he will water 

them with his ^race every moment, and hold 
R 2 



198 

them up by his strength, and they shall be 
safe. How confident were believers of this 
in the Old Testament ? One of them who 
had attained this assurance of faith, says, 
^- Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow 
me all the days of my life: "and he, with 
many others, who had obtained like precious 
faith with him, declare,-—'' This is our God 
for ever, he will be our guide even unto 
death :" They were sure he would be their 
God, and would follow them with mercy, 
and guide them, and do them good in life 
and death. To the same purpose our Lord 
has promised believers, My sheep hear my 
voice, and I know them, and they follow me, 
and I give unto them eternal life, and they 
shall never perish, neither shall any pluck 
them out of my hand. " How confidently did 
he trust in Christ for the liilfilling of this 
blessed promise, who said, " I am fully per- 
suaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, 
nor princi[)alities,/n6r powers, nor things pre- 
sent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, 
nor any other creature, shall be able to sepa- 
j:ate us from the love of God which is in 



\99 
Christ Jesus our Lord. " Oh ! sweet words of 
coiiitort ! how happy was Paul in this assu- 
rance of faith! It is thy privilege, believer, as 
w ell as his. Thou hast the same promises that 
he had, the same God to fulfil them ; and thy 
faith ought to be growing until thou be as- 
sured that no creature, not all the powers on 
earth, nor the gates of hell, can separate 
thee from Christ. They may as soon get 
into heaven and cut off Christ's right hand, 
which is impossible, as cut oif one of the 
members of Christ's mystical body. 

If thou art ready to say, I see clearly 
how I should glorify my dear Lord, and 
how happy I should be, if my faith was but 
like Paul's, in this point ; but I am so weak 
and liable to fall, and mine enemies so nu- 
merous and mighty^ that I sometimes fear 
I shall never be able to hold out unto the 
end. Because thou art such, therefore the 
Lord has given thee his promise, that he 
will hold thee up, and thou shalt be safe. 
And this promise is part of the covenant, 
which is ordered in all things, and sure. 
Look at that, and not at thyself. Consider 



200 

the Messenger of the covenant, in whom it 
is all ordered, and by whom it is sure. 
When thy unfaithfulness would discourage 
thee, think of his faithfulness. Let thy 
weakness remind thee of his strength. If 
indeed he leave thee a single moment, thou 
wilt fall : but he has promised, I will never 
leave thee. If the number and strength 
of thine enemies make thee fear lest thou 
shouldest one day perish by the hand of 
Saul, he says to thee, thou shalt be kept by 
the power of God through faith unto salva- 
tion. But if thou art tempted to doubt^ 
finding thy revolting heart apt to turn from 
the Lord, '^ I will put my fear, says he, 
into thy heart, that thou shalt not depart 
from me." Observe, it is his faithfulness, 
and power, and not thine, which is to keep 
thee, and has covenanted to do it, and he 
has all powder in heaven and earth, and he 
has given thee promise upon promise for 
the establishment of thy faith, that thou 
inightest be certain he will love thee, and 
keep thee unto the end. And when he has 
brought thee to a certainty of it, then thy 



201 

oomfort will be full. Christ will be mag- 
nified in thee, now he has made thee one 
of those fathers, who have known him that 
is from the be^innino;. He has taudit thee 
so to know him, as to trust him for all 
things, and in all times. This is his crown, 
and glory. He has enthroned himself in 
thy heart, as thy perfect Saviour, and his 
kingdom is within thee, even righteousness, 
and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. 
Now thy calling and thy election is sure. 
Thou k no west that he is faithful who hath 
promised to keep thee, who also will do it. 
And having this assurance of faith, attend- 
ed with the rejoicing of hope ; and being 
sealed by the blessed Spirit to the day of 
redemption ; surely thou art an happy man, 
thrice happy, whom the Lord has thus high- 
ly favoured. How infinitely indebted art 
thou to his grace ! Oh ! what thanks and 
praises dost thou owe, more than thou canst 
ever pay, for what he has already done for 
thee ! and yet this is only the dawning of 
the perfect day. His present favours are 
only earnests and pledges of what he will 



202 

hereafter give thee. Therefore still trust 
ill him, and he will enlighten thee more 
by his Word and Spirit, he will enliven, 
strengthen, and establish thee more. Thy 
faith will daily rest more assuredly upon 
him, the joy of thy hope will increase, thy 
love will yet more abound. He will guide 
thee by his counsel in an even course, and 
will receive thee into glory. 

Thus have I treated as I was able, of 
the safety, and happiness of living by faith 
upon the Son of God, and have described th€ 
common hindrances which stop its growth^ 
and the victory over them, M^hich the Lord 
gives his people. I have been forced to be 
very short, and could only throw out some 
hints upon this copious subject. May the 
good Lord pardon what is amiss, and bless 
abundantly wdiat is according to his mind 
and will. If thou hast followed me, reader, 
in thy experience, and art indeed a happy 
believer, living upon thy blessed Jesus, for 
his promised heaven ; and for all things pro- 
mised to thee in the way thither ; think what 
41 debt thou owest him ! how dear and pre- 



9 



203 

cious should he be to thy heart ? He has sav- 
ed thee from all evil ; he will bless thee with 
all good. As surely as thou hast the earnest, 
thou shalt have the purchased possession. 
Oh ! what a Saviour is this ! he has already 
bestowed upon thee the exceeding riches of 
his grace ; but how great will be the riches 
of the glory, which he will give thee ? Thou 
wilt soon see him as he is ; and then thou 
shalt be like him. No tongue can tell how 
great that glory will be ; not all the tongues 
in heaven, after the number of the elect shall 
be perfected ; no, not after they have enjoy- 
ed it for millions of ages : never, never will 
they be able to show^ forth all his praise, for 
making them like himself. Surely, then, 
while thou art waiting for this glory, which 
shall be revealed, thou wilt be going on from 
faith to faith, that thy beloved Saviour may 
become more dear to thee; and that thou may- 
est have more close and intimate communion 
with him. Every day's experience should 
bring thee to love his appearing more. Hav- 
ing tasted how gracious he is, thou shouldest 
be longing for the marriage-supper of the 



204 
Lamb, with fervent desire. And being now 
a Father in Christ, and strong in faith, thou 
wilt be often looking up to him, and saying 
•^— Make haste, my Beloved, and take me 
to thyself — let me see thee face to face, and 
enjoy thee, thou dearest Jesus, whom my 
soul longeth after. It is good to live upon 
thee by faith ; but to live with thee is best 
of all. I have found one day in thy courts, 
conversing sweetly with thee, better than a 
thousand; but this has only whetted my ap- 
petite; the more communion 1 have with 
thee, I hunger and thirst still for more. My 
soul panteth for nearer, still nearer commu- 
nion with thee. When shall I come to ap- 
pear before the presence of God? O thou 
Light of my life, thou Joy of my heart! thou 
k no west how I wish for the end of my faith, 
when I shall no longer see through a glass 
darkly, but with open face behold the glory 
of my liOrd. Thou hast so endeared thy- 
self to me, thou precious Immanuel, by ten 
thousand thousand kindnesses, that I cannot 
be entirely satisfied, until I have the lull vi- 
sion, and complete enjoyment of thyself. 



205 

The day of our espousals has been a blessed 
time. O, for the mariiage of the Lamb ; 
^vhen I shall be presented as a chaste virgin 
to my heavenly Bridegroom ! How can I but 
long earnestly for this full enjoyment of thy 
everlasting love ! Come, Lord Jesus, let me 
see thee as thou art. Come, and make me 
like unto thee. I do love thee — I am now 
happy in thy love — but not so as I hope to 
be. I am often interrupted here, and never 
love thee so much as I desire ; but these 
blessed spirits standing now round thy 
throne, are perfected in love. Oh ! that I 
was once admitted to see, as they do, the 
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ ! 
Is not that the voice of my Beloved, which 
I hear, answering, Surely^ I come quickly ! 
Amen, say I, even so come, Lord Jesus. 
Make haste, my Beloved, and be thou like 
to a roe, or to a young hart upon the moun- 
tains of spices. 

Are not these, believer, the breathings of 
thy soul } Since the time for them is short, 
may they grow warmer, and more affection- 
ate every day ! Thou wilt wait but a little 

S 



Q06 
wiiiie^ before thou shall see the king in his 
perfect beauty ; and thou shalt be a blessed 
partaker of his eternal glory. And if he 
make these few lines any nrieans of bringing 
thee to see more of his beauty at present- 
to live more upon his fulness — and to be 
happier in him ; I hope thou and I shall, 
through his grace, meet him soon, and give 
him, to eternity, the glory of this, and of all 
his other mercies. To the Lord I commend 
thee ; on M'hom thou hast believed. May 
he strengthen and establish thy faith daily, 
that it may grow exceedingly, until he bring 
thee to the end of it, and admit thee into 
that innumerable company, who are ascribing 
blessing, and honour, and gloVy, and power, 
to Him that ^vas slain ; and hath redeemed 
them unto God by his blood : to whom, 
with the Father, and the eternal Spirit, three 
Persons in one Jehovah, be equal and ever- 
lasting praise, Ame7i, 



FINIS-, 



NEW 

THEOLOGICAL S- CLASSICAL BOOKSTORE, 



Solomon Williams, of New-York, and Samuel Whi- 
TixG, (late of the house of Backus and Whiting*, booksellers, 
Albany,) under the firm of WILLIAMS & WHITING, 
inform their friends and the public, that they have commen- 
ced the Bookselling business in the city of New -York, No. 
118, Pearl-street. They design to make their establishment 
particularly subservient to the interests of THEOLOGI- 
CAL, CLASSICAL, and POLITE LITERATURE. 

In the prosecution of this plan, no exertions on their part 
shall be wanting to merit a share of public patronage. They 
particularly solicit, and hope to receive, the support of the 
friends of piety and learning generally. 

Their stock on hand comprises a general assortment of 
American editions of theological books, selected with care ; 
in addition to which, they have lately received from London 
a choice and valuable collection of standard works in divini- 
ty and Christian literature, which they offer for sale at a 
small advance on the sterling cost. 

Their arrangements abroad are such that, in the progress 
©f their business they calculate on supplying to any extent, 
the orders of their friends, with all the ancient and rare, 
modern and newest productions, as they appear in their line ; 
as soon, and as far as intercourse is uninterrupted with Eu- 
rope. 

Williams & Whiting intend to re -publish, as soon and ex- 
tensively as the patronage they may receive will authorize, 
the leading standard works on elementary and practical sub- 
jects in Christian theology. The exorbitant prices of En- 
glish books, and the frequent interruptions of our intercourse 
with Europe, encourage the patriotic hope, that the publisli- 
e-rs will receive that liberal support in this undertaking 
which its importance demands ; and which will enable them, 



ll^v>.A. 



ii 

in their turn, liberally to retnunerate the patronage, by giving 
correct, elegant, and cheap editions of the most useful and 
valuable works. 

W, & W have just published, in one volume, handsomely 
bound, price gl 50, THORNTON ABBEY; a Series of 
Letters on Religious Subjects. 

SCOTT'S ESSAYS, on the most importaTit subjects in 
Religion — an admirable manual for family and individual use, 
1 vol. S 1 25. 

CHRISTIAN ECONOMY ; a very ancient and curious 
little Tract, 37 1-2 cts. Also, 

DOCTOR DWIGHT'S last revision of Watt's Psalms 
and Hymns. 

They have undertaken and are publishing an elegant edition 
of the Worksof the late Rev. JOHN NEWTON, prepared 
by himself, and published by his executors, in 6 vols. 8vo. 
from the London edition, in a style equal to it, and at half 
the price to subscribers, or § 12 in boards. The price will 
be advanced 3 dollars to others. 

@rj» The volumes are published monthly — Subscriptions 
received till their conclusion. 

SHUCKFORD'S CONNECTIONS, of Sacred and Pro- 
fane History, they have issued proposals for publishing 
shortly, in 3 vols. 8vo. at g 7 50. Less than half the price of 
the London edition. 

The WALK and TRIUMPH OF FAITH, the other 
works of Mr. Romaine, are publishing by them, in connexion 
with this volume, and will be out in a few days. 

BIBLES, of different descriptions in size, quality, and 
price, English and American editions, constantly to be had 
at their store. 

School Books, Maps, Globes, and Stationary, generally. 
Mw'Tork, October, 1809. 



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